While the competition has awarded two first prizes both the Japanese team SANAA as the Norwegian Snøhetta, it remains unclear which of the two will be responsible for carrying out the design of the New National Gallery and Museum Ludwig.
Following the proposal by Snøhetta, an open and participatory space where visitors can start their own journey through the art experience. Each of the interior spaces intended to host exhibitions of various periods and styles enhancing learning and individual inspiration.
Description of the project by Snøhetta.
Socially responsible behavior is dependent on repetitive individual and collective exposure to our cultural evolution. Many museums today seem to see their visitors as the larges threat to their own collections and exhibitions. This attitude leaves museums "passive" in their performative role as cutting-edge institutions and in their relationship to the public a large.
To enable the New Hungarian National Gallery and the Ludwig Museum to have the desired active role; interacting and communicating with their audience, our project is based on the following principles:
The wish to unify two museums in one building while maintaining a strong individual identity for each.
We are situating both institutions under a singular public roof that is always accessible. Thus the roof becomes an inherent part of the City Park as does its elevated continuation offering great views over the whole of Budapest.
Architecturally, we strive to create a museum building that offers exciting, modern and contemporary spaces that enable an art experience confidently suited to the display of art form varying epochs and styles.
We aim to create an inspirational environment for education and museum learning, where the thoughts and philosophical mindsets fundamental to any form of art creation and understanding are at the centre point.
The centre point of the building symbolizes the meeting point of two art institutions, the meeting of light and earth at the horizon simultaneously resolving practicalities of daylighting and embodying gravity at the meeting of the Ludwig Museum and the New National Gallery.
In the heart of the building we envision a large open public space that serves both institutions. Here the visitors, local and from afar, young and old, are invited to star their journey of exploring art, in the Ludwig Museum and New National Gallery.
The juxtaposition of the two institutions beneath a common fabric creates a space where tensions serve to inspire - a metaphysical reaction field between collections, and beyond the individual mind.
