PROJECT
Museum of Bavarian History
CLIENT
Regensburg Municipality
DATE
2013
LOCATION
Regensburg, Germany
AREA
7.000 SQM
STATUS
Competition Proposal
ARCHITECTURE
FRANCISCO SALGADO RÉ, BRUNO ANDRÉ
The proposal reinterprets the historical typology of the urban portal and monumental arch, positioning the museum as a physical and symbolic gateway between the medieval city of Regensburg and the Danube riverfront. Rather than erecting an opaque barrier along the water, the architectural volume is elevated to generate a large covered public plaza at ground level. This structural void establishes pedestrian and visual permeability between the historic urban grid and the riverbank, transforming the entrance threshold into an active civic space dedicated to public gathering.
The building envelope translates Bavarian regional iconography into a contemporary masonry skin. The geometry of the facade derives from the rhombus pattern of the Bavarian flag, rationalized into an engineered stone facade executed in local natural stone consistent with Regensburg’s medieval heritage. Deep, selective apertures are strategically cut into the stone volume, providing targeted panoramic frames toward key urban landmarks and the Danube, while regulating natural light infiltration according to specific curatorial requirements.
The internal gallery layout replaces the traditional horizontal gallery sequence with the “Loop Concept.” By rotating the linear exhibition path ninety degrees into a vertical circuit, the building compresses horizontal circulation footprints and organizes the curatorial narrative along a continuous ascending and descending loop. Visitors progress through the historical sequence vertically, moving from the ground-level public realm through elevated exhibition chambers before returning to the civic plaza below.
