Architectural photographer Paul Clemence has released a new photoseries of the newly-opened Kunsthaus Zürich Museum Extension designed by David Chipperfield Architects. The extension is a freestanding addition to the existing Kunsthaus museum, and houses a collection of classic modernist artwork, the Bührle collection, and temporary exhibitions. The architectural identity takes inspiration from traditional stone façades found on the existing Kunsthaus as well as other significant public buildings in the Swiss city, and combines tradition and innovation through slender vertical fins crafted from local Jurassic limestone.
After the completion of the new structure, Kunsthaus Zürich stands as the largest art museum in Switzerland, comprising four buildings: the Moser building (1910), the Pfister building (1958), the Müller building (1976), and now the Chipperfield extension (2020). According to the project description by the architects who designed the museum, the urban concept was based on the "placement of a clear geometric volume on the northern edge of the square". The structure's form was inspired by the historic cantonal school just north of the site, which was built in 1842. The school defines the urban frame, which led to the creation of two new external spaces: the urban square to the south, which was framed on all four sides by buildings, and the new Garden of Art to the north.
