Historical Museum of Bern, Switzerland

MLZD’s extension to the Historical Museum of Bern is the latest addition to ‘museum island’ – an area to the south of Helvetiaplatz that covers three city blocks and includes the Swiss Natural History Museum, Swiss Alpine Museum, Swiss National Library and Bern art gallery.
Designed by Neuchâtel architect André Lambert and completed in 1894, the original building was conceived as the Swiss National Museum and is inspired by architecture from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, as well as historic castles. The museum’s revivalist style is intended to recall the period from which its most important collections are derived.
Partly buried into the site, MLZD's competition-winning scheme comprises two principle elements. The first is a 1200 square metre exhibition hall, which is located beneath a new public plaza at the south-eastern corner of the museum. Access is provided by an underground passage leading from the main circulation space. Artefacts are stored on two levels below the exhibition hall. The proximity of the works to the display area combined with the use of a concrete structure ensures a safe and stable internal environment.