A new Bauhaus museum, designed by Spanish firm Addenda Architects, has opened in Dessau, Germany.  

The 5,500sqm structure features a simple linear design clad in floor-to-ceiling glass and topped with a green roof. Other key design elements include an open ground floor to be used for temporary exhibitions as well as a black-wrapped upper floor that will house more delicate items from the Bauhaus collection.

bauhaus museum dessau detail

The upper floor has been constructed from a 100m-long concrete tube, with its black casing used protect sensitive items by blocking out natural light.

Below, the central space includes the entrance hall, ticket desk, cafe, shop and 600sqm of temporary exhibition space.

bauhaus museum dessau lower floor

According to the architects, while the building was not designed to recreate Bauhaus architecture, it does loosely reference Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion.

The museum sits in the centre of Dessau, along with the Bauhaus Building, the former centre of the influential design school.

Photography by Thomas Meyer.