Architect with a sense of history

Architect David Chipperfield, best known for his epic museum buildings, will restore the New National Gallery in Berlin. He's starting off his project with an extraordinary installation of 144 tree trunks placed inside of the New National Gallery, Berlin's museum for modern art. It's an ode to Mies van der Rohe, who completed the New National Gallery in 1968 and often used steal beams in T-shape.

In 2009, the Queen of England honored British architect Chipperfield for his services outside of England. In 1986, he implemented his first project for the Japanese fashion designer Issay Miyake. He built boutiques in London and later in Japan. Although Chipperfield has now subscribed to cultural buildings, his interest in fashion still remains. He worked for the label Valentino for five years.

Germany likes to call upon Chipperfield when it comes to historical buildings. He was also commissioned to renovate the New Museum in Berlin, which took him ten years. The building, located on Museum Island, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. During the Second World War, seventy percent of the building was destroyed. Now visitors can see the bust of Nefertiti, which is currently displayed there.

In January 2010, the Folkwang Museum in Essen reopened its doors. Chipperfield extended the post-war building to a light, open style architecture, where visitors can stroll past courtyards within the building. The message is clear: The art displayed in the museum needs air to breathe and the architecture is subordinate. The house opens to the city of Essen and to its residents.

In 2006, Chipperfield created a mecca not only for literature but also for architecture lovers. The construction of the literary archives in Marbach resembles Athen's Parthenon with its elevated position in the countryside. For the construction, Chipperfield was awarded the prestigious Sterling Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects. The jury praised the building as "small acropolis."

Chipperfield's worldwide success eventually also led to commissions within the UK. He created a museum of contemporary art for the desolate seaside resort of Margate on the Kent coast. The Turner Contemporary Gallery is named after the landscape painter J.M.W. Turner. The architecture is reminiscent of a shipyard or an old industrial building with its strict geometric forms.

After the success in Margate, Chipperfield was commissioned to build another museum in England. In May 2011, the Hepworth Wakefield opened its doors in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The museum was named after Barbara Hepworth, a sculptor from Wakefield. The construction consists of trapeze-shaped blocks that lay close to the water. Recesses in the roof provide natural lighting.

Chipperfield's art is all about contrast. The man who often restores historical architecture likes to create something new. Visitors who enter museums built by Chipperfield have to pass the modern "gateway to art" before they can encounter the classical art inside. Chipperfield's exhibition at Berlin's New National Gallery runs through the end of this year. Then he'll start the renovation works.