Supplementary museum building at the Peter-August-Böckstiegel-Haus

ORIGINAL - EARTH-BORN - CRAFT
The environment of the new Peter August Böckstiegel Museum in Werther

The museum project
Peter August Böckstiegel (1889 - 1951) was a German painter and representative of Westphalian Expressionism.
Böckstiegel remained closely connected to his parents, his neighbours and his Westphalian homeland throughout his life - as the pictorial motifs he chose impressively demonstrate. Thus, the parental home and residence artistically designed by him, together with his works of art, represent a unique Gesamtkunstwerk. In order to make Böckstiegel's artistic life's work accessible in an appropriate manner, the Peter August Böckstiegel Foundation has set itself the goal of erecting a museum extension in the immediate vicinity of the Böckstiegel House.

The overall planning (competition work)
Primitiveness and the simplicity of rural life in his homeland strongly influenced Peter August Böckstiegel. This down-to-earthness and earthiness find expression in his works. Thus the rural environment of his parents' house and later his home repeatedly became a motif for his painting.
In the vicinity of his birthplace, the new building of the Böckstiegel Museum is embedded in the agricultural environment. The museum, according to the description of the architects hsd from Lemgo, peels out of the slope of the orchard like an erratic block, a solitary stone polished by the forces of nature.
The approach of originality and simplicity is followed by the conception of the open space, which integrates the new museum building into the surroundings of the former residential house. We take up the existing, farm-like structures and strengthen them in their simple clarity. In the motif of the meadow orchard we find the alternation of high and cut fields and finally the grain sheaves standing in the grid. The new is carefully superimposed on this base and becomes readable.
The materials and forms of the lawn paths and in-situ concrete surfaces with broom finish are reduced to the simple and reveal the manufacturing process. Original craftsmanship is the design principle. The paths to and at the museum rest on the site as a new layer. Horizontal levels float above the sloping meadow slope. The usable areas on the building are developed from the geometry of the roof. As "splinters" they lie detached from the museum in the meadow.
The fruit trees represent the present productive landscape aspect. We have developed an irregular grid from the existing trees and supplemented it with new plantings. Thus, the grid of fruit trees ties into the motif of strung grain sheaves. It also forms the basis for changing mowing patterns that are adapted to the use. For example, the tree axes are cleared or small clearings are mown for events. The visual relationship between the Böckstiegel House and the new museum was established by removing individual, inappropriate ornamental trees.
A mowed path stabilized with fine gravel runs through the orchard, providing easy places to stop at selected vantage points. View relationships to the Böckstiegelhaus, in and through the adjacent forest, along the forest edge - picture motifs of Peter August Böckstiegel - become comprehensible. Connected to the path is a "green classroom" for museum education with a view of the house where Böckstiegel was born.

Award Atmospheric RoomsGerman Landscape Architecture Award 2021

Jury verdict:
The outdoor installations at the Peter August Böckstiegel Museum are characterized by great simplicity and clarity. Inspired by the life and work of the Westphalian expressionist, the authors succeed in creating a convincing spatial composition with only a few elements. The flowering meadow picks up on a typical motif of the surrounding landscape and stages the slightly ascending topography of the site. It encloses the museum building and allows it to unfold its sculptural effect. The grid of fruit trees set in the meadow was developed from the existing trees, thus creating both shady and sunny spots. Almost casually, a space with a high atmospheric quality is formed.

In contrast to the rural naturalness of the meadow and trees, an artificially shaped path runs through the grounds, with its generous movements enabling ever-changing perspectives on the house and garden. Its polygonal shape, alternating between narrowness and expanse, is reminiscent of Böckstiegel's expressive formal language. The two seating areas are also inspired by this design idea; like the detailing and materiality of the entire complex, they radiate calm and modesty. In this way, an impressive open space with a poetic aura has been created with sparing means, which harmonises very coherently with the concept of the museum.