The Kolumba Art Museum in Cologne, Germany, designed by architect Peter Zumthor, integrates the historic site of the destroyed St. Columba church with contemporary architecture. Completed in 2007, the museum features a unique façade made of handmade grey bricks, allowing light to create a dynamic interior atmosphere while respecting the site's historical context. Zumthor's approach embraces the layers of history, creating a serene and timeless environment that connects the past with the present.

1. Kolumba Art Museum,
Cologne, Germany
Architect: Peter Zumthor
Prepared by:
M.Senthil

2. Peter Zumthor is a Swiss architect, won the
Pritzker Prize in 2009 and is known for his
minimalist, pure aesthetic.
His best known projects are the Kunsthaus
Bregenz in Austria, the thermal bathes in
Vals, Switzerland and the Kolumba in
Cologne.

3. The Kolumba (previously "Diocesan Museum") is an art museum in Cologne,
Germany.
The site was originally occupied by the romanesque Church of St. Columba,
which was destroyed in World War II and replaced in 1950 by a Gottfried Böhm
chapel nicknamed the "Madonna of the Ruins".
The new structure Zumthor built for the museum now shares its site with Gothic
church and the 1950s chapel, wrapping a perforated grey brick façade.
Construction of the Kolumba began in 2003 and was completed in 2007.
The 21 1/4 inches long and 19/16 inches high bricks were handmade in the
region, a process which took over two years to complete.

13. A museum has now been built on the historic grounds, at 12 m above ground
level. Realization of this ambitious building was only possible by the use of micro
piles bored into the sandy ground all the way through the over 600-year old walls of
the destroyed church. The two-storeys of the Diocesan Museum exhibition rooms are
constructed on top.

14. Micro piles are small diameter piles, typically 2-6 inches in diameter, which can
be installed in almost any type of soil where piles are needed. In areas where
conventional methods cannot be used such as restricted access or low
headroom areas, micro piles are a good solution and are appropriated for a
wide range of ground conditions.
Micropile Applications:
Supporting New Loads in Congested Areas
Seismic Retrofit
Arresting Structural Settlement
Resisting Uplift/Dynamic Loads
Underpinning
Excavation Support in Confined Areas
Reticulated Pile Wall

15. Contextual Complexity:
•Throughout the history of Cologne, churches have stood on this site
•It might appear to be hopeless to reconcile these many layers of history, but
it seems Zumthor chose to to see it as a challenge and he has intelligently
managed to add to the architectural continuum, while keeping and embracing
the pre-existing fragments.
•Zumthor was able to turn the ruins of the city into an opportunity to embrace
the past and look towards the future with beautiful and poetic results.

16. •The building does not reveal a lot from the outside.
•From the foyer, a zigzagging pathway guides you through the archaeological
excavations between slim concrete columns pinning up the ceiling.
•As you stand amidst the room with all layers of history exposed, protected
by the outer walls that gently wraps everything together, there is a serene
calmness and odd timelessness.
A Mysterious, Timeless - Space

17. A Minimal stair carries visitors from
the lobby to the gallery levels.

18. Relationship with
Neighbours:
The composition of
elevation follows a line
guides the environment
exists allow
continuity with the
nearby buildings.

19. SECTIONAL VIEW

20. These bricks were specifically developed,
was built in Cologne in 2007, “seamlessly
fuses with the outer walls of the ruined
church, recreating its former mass.”
The uneven nature of hand-made brick and
the thick, horizontal mortar joints allowed the
brickwork to fit seamlessly around the ruins.
The bricks are a calm grey which contrasts
with the stone of the foundation walls and the
mortar joints are a matching colour which
lends the building a monolithic feeling.
Kolumba Brick dimensions are 528 x 108 x
37 mm (similar to roman brick), giving a
much different feeling compared to the
standard 215 x 112.5 x 65 mm.

22. Zumthor has spaced the bricks apart in
irregular patterns allowing diffused light
to permeate the gaps between the
brickwork and give a dappled light
quality to the interior.
Because in churches, light is given
greater importance as it comes from the
heavens and represents the divine.
At the Kolumba Museum, the architect
has chosen to craft how light enters the
building not because of its spiritual
significance but instead to give a
dynamic quality to interior spaces.

28. THANK YOU