Museum Peter August Böckstiegel by Planergruppe Oberhausen

Planergruppe Oberhausen: The painter Peter August Böckstiegel (1889-1951) got strongly influenced by the nativeness and simplicity of peasant life in his homeland. His groundedness find expression in his works, and thus, the rural environment of his parents’ house – which later was again his private residence – repeatedly became motifs for his paintings.

This very approach was followed by the design of the open space, which integrates the new museum building into the environment of the former residential building. We were taking the existing, rural-like structures and strengthen these in their simplicity and clarity.

In the motive of the orchard meadow, the change of high and cut fields and meadows and finally the grids in the corn are reflected. The new order carefully covers this basis and becomes legible. The materials and shapes of the lawn paths and the in-situ concrete surfaces with brushed surface are reduced to a simple shape and reveal the manufacturing process. The original craftsmanship is the principle of the design.

The paths to and around the museum building are layered on top of the area. Horizontal plains seem to be floating over the slanted meadow slope. The design of the usable areas on top of the building is reflecting the geometry of the roof – they are detached as “splinters” from the museum in the meadow.

The fruit trees represent today’s productive landscape aspect. We have developed an irregular grid pattern from the existing trees and added new plantings to it. This is how the pattern of the fruit trees follows the motif of the arrayed sheaves of corn. It also forms the basis for changing mowing patterns, which are adapted to the use of the space, and consequently the tree axles are either open or small clearings are mowed for accommodating events. The visual connection between Böckstiegel House and the new museum building was created by removing some disruptive decorative shrubs.

A mowed path covered with fine gravel leads through the orchard offering some great views during a stopover. Visual connections with the Böckstiegel House become evident inside and through the adjacent forest and alongside the forest borders, which are again painting motifs of Peter August Böckstiegel. Adjacent to the path there is a “green classroom” for museum education with a view towards the house of Böckstiegel’s birth.