Exhibition on the occasion of the 80th birthday of gmp founding partner Meinhard von Gerkan / Five decades of sketches and drawings / Architecture Pavilion as exhibition and events venue On Sunday, 5 July 25, the first exhibition was opened in the new Architecture Pavilion at the Elbhang between Elbchaussee and Oevelgönne museum port in Hamburg in front of 300 guests. Under the title Lines of Thought Meinhard von Gerkan 50 years of architecture in drawings and sketches, the drawings produced by Meinhard von Gerkan will be on view every Thursday until the 6th of September. The Architecture Pavilion commissioned by von Gerkan was itself opened jointly with the exhibition. The double opening falls into an important year for gmp; 25 is the year in which gmp will have been in existence for 50 years, and it is also the year in which von Gerkan celebrated his 80th birthday in January. The Lines of Thought exhibition looks back over the last 50 years of gmp architecture, but most importantly pays homage to an architect who, to this day, develops his designs with the help of sketches. It is also intended as a plea for architects and designers to be able to put ideas and conceptual thoughts manually on paper, in spite of the ubiquitous proliferation of digital design applications. From an archive of far more than 3,000 sheets, curator Michael Kuhn, Head of Communication at gmp, together with Meinhard von Gerkan, selected 125 originals relating to 39 projects. Kuhn is also the editor of the accompanying catalogue, to which architectural historian and journalist Gert Kähler has contributed the texts. The sketches selected are primarily those that exemplify von Gerkan s ability to use just a few significant hand-drawn lines to capture the core and character of even very complex projects. In addition, the exhibition focuses on designs that exemplify the work, the development and the milestones of the practice. Therefore, the exhibition typically includes the first drawings for the design of Berlin Tegel Airport the project with which the practice s history began as well as those for Berlin s main railway station. The sketches are exhibited on three levels in the new Architecture Pavilion designed by Meinhard von Gerkan. The building is as spectacular as its position on the Elbhang, below the main gmp address at Elbchaussee 139 and above Oevelgönne museum port. Access to the Pavilion is via the Övelgönner Mühlenweg footpath that leads from Elbchaussee down to the bank of the River Elbe. The compact building faces north, where a terraced garden has been established using the topography of the terrain; on that side, which faces uphill, there are few windows, while on the south side facing the River Elbe there are large room-high windows and a range of generous terraces. All three stories are accessed via a shared entrance area on the first floor, although separate staircases leading to the basement and the second floor make it possible to accommodate different uses.
The use concept of the Pavilion is fully focused on architecture, its presentation and dissemination. The large room in the basement will accommodate the collection of architectural models that have been created by gmp over the decades, making them accessible to the public as a permanent exhibition. The two units above have been designed for multifunctional purposes; they will be used for changing exhibitions, events and also workshops. The top floor also includes rooms for work, which can also be used to accommodate guests. Design Meinhard von Gerkan with Volkmar Sievers Project management Kordula Noelle Team, realization Fabian Färber, Alisa von Gerkan, Uli Rösler, Michèle Watenphul, Steffen Lepiorz, Construction management: Raimund Kinski, Philippa Kannengiesser, Annette Walczynski Structural engineering Wetzel & von Seht Building services RMN Ingenieure Landscape architect WES LandschaftsArchitektur Client Meinhard von Gerkan GFA 670 m² Lines of Thought Meinhard von Gerkan 50 years of architecture in drawings and sketches Architecture Pavilion at Elbchaussee Elbchaussee 139a 22763 Hamburg Exhibition dates: 6 July to 6 September 25 Open every Thursday from 11:00 to 19:00 hours and by arrangement via: ausstellung@gmp-architekten.de A catalogue of the same name is available for the exhibition: Edited by Michael Kuhn with texts by Gert Kähler Publishers: Jovis Verlag Berlin ISBN 978-3-86859-376-1 EUR 78.00 www.gmp-architekten.de For further information please contact: Claudia Tiesler Public Relations and Communication T: 040.88 151 123 F: 040.88 151 184 ctiesler@gmp-architekten.de www.gmp-architekten.de
02 03 04 Hillside situation of Architecture Pavilion at the Elbhang 02 Illuminated pavilion at night below the gmp office 03 3-story building with floor to ceiling windows to the South 04 Ceramic facade with dynamic shape photos: Hans-Georg Esch
04 02 06 03 04 Entrance hall as central place 02 Compact facade to the North 03/04 Impressions of exhibition Lines of Thought photos: Hans-Georg Esch
Lageplan 1/500 1 5 10 m Grundriss OG 1/100 04 06 02 Grundriss EG 1/100 03 Schnitt A-A 1/100 Grundriss UG 1/100 04 05 04 Site plan 02 Floor plan, level 1 03 Floor plan, level 0 04 Section 05 Floor plan, level -1 plans: gmp