Architecture

MUSEUM

Visionary undertakings under one roof

Modern, airy architecture

The Dornier Museum features modern, airy architecture that presents technological progress in an authentic environment. The museum’s floor plan is similar to that of a hangar. It is based on the concept of a turn-off from the Bodensee Airport tarmac. The new building, which provides around 5,000 square metres of exhibition space, was built in a landscape park encompassing approximately 25,000 square metres. Inside the Hangar, the aircraft have plenty of room on an exhibition area of 2,500 square metres. Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance is the birthplace of Dornier GmbH and therefore, the perfect location for the museum.

“I am fascinated by the view from the air. The past and present on this site – that was the basis of our design, resulting in the metaphor of the turning lane.”<br/> <br/> Prof. Markus Allmann, Allmann Sattler Wappner Architekten

Inspired by reality

The modern, clear architecture of the new museum building places Dornier’s legacy within a special, highly authentic framework. The floor plan of the museum in the form of hangar symbolises a turn-off from the tarmac at the airport in Friedrichshafen. <br/> <br/> The architecture provides a fascinating solution to two very different requirements of the exhibition. On the one hand, the Hangar provides sufficient space for many original aircraft and on the other hand, the Museum box, which appears to hover above the foyer, is the heart and centrepiece of the exhibition. It is where visitors gain insight into the rich collection that has linked the name “Dornier” to aerospace history for more than 100 years. <br/> <br/> Friedrichshafen is the birthplace of Dornier GmbH. The local connection between the museum and the airport in Friedrichshafen make the trajectory from the early days of air travel to today’s aviation industry materialize as experience for all visitors. <br/> <br/> Architecture: Allmann Sattler Wappner Architekten

James Turrell

James Turrell, the internationally known space-light artist, developed a light installation especially for the Dornier Museum.

Flight has been one of Turrell’s major passions since his teens. The perception of light “up above” has been a major inspiration for Turrell and his art. His installations sweep observers into a realm of pure imagination and sensory experience. His fascination with the phenomenon of light is linked to the meditative search for the position of humankind in the universe. Turrell also privately restores historical aircraft and is currently working on a Do-27.

“My work is about space and the light that inhabits it. It is about how you can confront that space and plumb it. It is about your seeing, like the wordless thought that comes from looking into a fire.” James Turrell

The Dornier Museum