Located in the historic town of Bled in the foothills of the Julian Alps, the Muzej Lah is being built to exhibit a private collection of contemporary art owned by the Swiss non-profit organisation Fundacija Lah.
The 5,000m² museum, due to open next year, is being built in a valley below the town’s medieval castle in a natural clearing surrounded by trees.
The Pritzker Prize-winning architect’s design features sloping roofs inspired by its alpine location. A sawtooth arrangement is designed to bring light into the gallery spaces.
Alongside gallery space, the museum has also been designed as a ‘cultural institution’ with a library, research centre, restaurant, and retail space. The charity’s plans also include a sculpture garden, allowing visitors to experience art in a natural setting.
David Chipperfield, who has been working on the scheme for nearly 10 years, said: ‘The location of the museum in the beautiful landscape near Bled Castle inspired our design approach. The various volumes of the building are unified by a series of sloping tiled roofs that tie the museum into its hillside setting.
‘The building is defined by a series of rooms, courtyards and terraces that both create an ideal setting for the collection and give the visitor a strong sense of the surrounding landscape.
‘We look forward to the museum becoming an important cultural amenity for the region and yet another reason for people to visit this beautiful town.’
The museum was founded by Slovenian philanthropists Igor and Mojca Lah, and will showcase more than 800 works accumulated over three decades and never seen by the public.
The collection includes both international and Slovenian artists, dating from 1945 to the present day, including Anselm Kiefer, Joseph Beuys, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov and William Kentridge.
Igor and Mojca Lah said: ‘In choosing David Chipperfield, we sought an architect whose work, which we have long admired, embodies principles and values we share and hold dear: discourse, clarity, rigour and quiet power.
‘From the very beginning, there was no question in our minds that it had to be David. It is a true honour to be working with someone whose architecture speaks so profoundly to the spirit of art and place.’
Last month, David Chipperfield Architects revealed plans for the restoration of a Roman theatre in Brescia, northern Italy.
Source:David Chipperfield
Sketch by David Chipperfield of Muzej Lah
Project data
Client Muzej Lah
User Lah Art Foundation
Architect David Chipperfield Architects
Partners David Chipperfield
Project directors Benito Blanco, Oliver Ulmer, Julia Loughnane
Project architects Julia Loughnane, Kim Schürmann
Project team Madiha Ahmad, Matt Ball, Alan Casey, Honor Clinton, Sebastian Drewes, Rui Couto Fernandes, Francis Field, Jochen Glemser, Clemens Gerritzen, Peter Jurschitzka, Leonardo Marchesi, Tram Huong Ngo, Renato Pimenta, Anna Pizova, Evangelos Pournaras, Olimpia Presutti, Joana Ribeiro, Nanami Sakimura
Executive architect RcR Projekt, Elea iC
Landscape architect Djao-Rakitine, Bruto Landscape Architecture
Quantity surveyor Directional Logic, Saša Lipužic Cost Consultant
Structural engineer Expedition Engineering, Grad-Art
Services engineer Arup, Klimaterm Projekt
Fire protection Fojkar Fire
Acoustic consultant Arup
Lighting consultant Arup
