Jewish Museum, Frankfurt am Main

In the former gardens of the Rothschild Palais, a listed building, a modern extension has been built which provides over 600 square meters of space for temporary exhibitions in the basement. The design of the new building by Staab Architekten includes a multifunctional lecture hall and reading room with a public library, a kosher deli, a museum store and the new main entrance with a connected foyer, which is used for a wide variety of events. The historic home of the Rothschild family was renovated to restore it to its original historic condition. The new permanent exhibition spreads over three floors on approx. 1,500 square meters and tells the story of the Jews in Frankfurt from the Enlightenment and Emancipation around 1800, to the present. Licht Kunst Licht carried out the daylight and artificial lighting design of the new building and the permanent exhibition.In order to carry the distinct lightness throughout the entire foyer, downlights were integrated into the bare concrete ceiling in a dynamic arrangement. In favor of a ceiling soffit that is as undisturbed as possible, the downlights are small-format, flush-mounted and trimless. The atrium receives narrow-beam, directional light from spotlights connected to the skylight structure in a uniform grid.

A flexible light channel system finds its place in the lecture hall. An extruded profile is integrated into the ceiling folds at regular intervals, which accommodates an alternating pattern of diffuse lighting components and directional linear downlights. The perimeter walls are accentuated by wallwashers. The individual components can be switched and dimmed separately to suit a wide variety of events and atmospheres.

The stairwell has a gracefully sculptural appearance. Here, recessed diffuse light lines are arranged graphically across the entire façade side, illuminating the stairwell in a soft light. The functional light on the stair surface is provided by handrail lighting achieving an exciting contrast in brightness. In the elevator area, integrated linear light coves provide visitors orientation.

In the permanent exhibition area, a minimal rail system is used in order not to overload the historical structure, while ensuring the highest possible flexibility for the exhibition.

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