![]() We had to build the museum for about two-thirds of the cost of a new building, which put a squeeze on the amount of “architecture”. In many ways, the light touch was a product of financial necessity. ![]() Herzog & de Meuron saw that one simply had to twist the existing box in a way that realised its potential. When we held the design competition – and invited Tadao Ando, David Chipperfield, Rafael Moneo, Rem Koolhaas and Renzo Piano – Herzog & de Meuron’s entry stood out because it proposed to do the least to the existing building, whereas some of the others proposed rather ambitious additions. It wasn’t a conscious reference to anything, but it is one of those fundamental spatial experiences, like the Campo in Siena, or the piazza in front of the Pompidou, the most gentle way to bring people from one level to another. We wanted to bring people down to the lowest point to give all the floors equal importance – otherwise what is at the bottom feels secondary. Our strongest move was removing the metal deck at ground level to reveal all this space beneath, making the hall feel so much bigger, almost like a nave. You could see the architect had a cathedral in mind. It was full of turbines when we found it, but it was still awe-inspiring. The Turbine Hall is probably the best thing we have done in our career. We are not classicists: we like to start with the obvious form and then make arguments against it. We’re not scared of symmetry, but we are not ideologically in favour of it. So the glass section along the roof – the “light beam” – stops short at the eastern end, and we cut away the western corner.
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