4.2 Jewish Museum

Photo from ArchDaily © BitterBredt

Architect: Daniel Libeskind
Location: Berlin, Germany
Photographs: Courtesy of ArchDaily


Perhaps one of the greatest examples of multiple phenomenological experiences available in a building, is within the Jewish Holocaust Museum in Berlin. Unlike the Church of Light, which tied its phenomenological experience into the function of the building, the Jewish Holocaust Museum was built with the sole intention of telling a story - that of the Jewish lifestyle before, during and after the holocaust (Kroll, 2010).

The building itself is a journey that must be undertaken. Each part of the museum is designed to tell a certain story, and through phenomenological effects, Daniel Libeskind is capable of placing the viewer in exactly the frame of mind they should be. Through the clever use of light and materials, Libeskind gives a very real perspective of the experiences of a Jewish person during the Holocaust.

 Bleak surroundings of concrete, interspersed with darkness

 Darkness, with a ray of light, or hope

New growth and life, but also the presence of scars

 References:

Kroll, Andrew. "AD Classics: Jewish Museum, Berlin / Daniel Libeskind" 25 Nov 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed 25 Sept 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/91273>