Media Release

Deutsches Museum in Munich Undergoes First Ever Comprehensive Refurbishment

© [Translate to English:] Deutsches Museum

Over 50 Exhibitions to be Redesigned

‘This is the first time in its history that the Deutsches Museum will have undergone comprehensive refurbishment. What we are doing here is creating one of the most modern science and technology museums in the world,’ says Professor Wolfgang M. Heckl, the Museum’s Director General. It is estimated that the project will cost EUR 445 million, with particular emphasis on redesigning over 50 exhibitions, modern technical standards and fire safety. The federal government and the State of Bavaria will each contribute EUR 180 million of this total, with a further EUR 40 million coming from the Museum’s own budgetary resources. The Museum has raised a further EUR 45 million in charitable donations. The modernization has been running since 2015. The project will be implemented in two sections. The first part of the Museum will reopen in 2020 with the inauguration of new exhibitions dealing with topics such as atomic physics, bridge construction and hydraulic engineering, chemistry, agriculture and food, music, space travel and robotics. It will then be the turn of the second part of the exhibition to undergo refurbishment. The plan is for the modernization work to be completed right on schedule for the building’s 100th anniversary in 2025. The project will be supported by the Munich-based architecture firm Schmidt-Schicketanz und Partner GmbH.

Refurbishing Museum While it Remains Open Calls for a High Level of Coordination

‘One of the challenges involved in the Deutsches Museum project is refurbishing the listed building while it remains open to the public. This is why the work will be undertaken into two implementation phases. So far as project management is concerned, we will seek to fine-tune the work schedule for everyone involved in the project and ensure precise coordination – in the final analysis, over 25,000 exhibits have to be moved from one location to another in stages, with construction work geared precisely around this,’ explains Felix Voisard, Senior Project Partner at Drees & Sommer SE. Lean Construction Management, a methodology first employed within the automotive industry, will be used to ensure the project’s timing, cost and quality objectives are met. Construction boards with plug-in cards will identify potential risks at an early stage and will make it easier to ensure close cooperation between all the parties involved.

Building Taken Back to Its Shell State

Museum Island in the middle of the River Isar has seen a great deal of activity since the refurbishment work began in October 2015. This included reinforcing the walls on the banks of the river to provide flood protection, removing everything from the exhibition areas, relocating large exhibits, and assembling technical building equipment. The initial phase, which is due to continue until May 2020, included taking the first part of the building back to its shell. This was necessary in order to meet new fire-safety requirements such as underground escape tunnels, new staircases, new building networks, ventilation systems, an integrated lighting system and modern elevators. 25,000 square meters, corresponding to over half the entire exhibition space, nonetheless continue to be accessible during the refurbishment work.