David Chipperfield’s design for the extension to the Folkwang museum of modern and contemporary art, winning scheme in a recent competition, is articulated in six different volumes connected by four courtyards whose strong point is the successful connection between the old and the new.

The public spaces are organised on the ground floor, at the same level as the existing building that was constructed in the 1950s, an external staircase leads to the first courtyard where the restaurant is located. Inside the new building (which will add a further 26,000 square metres of floor space) there will be galleries, illuminated with different levels of natural light, a library, restoration workshops, offices and storerooms. A courtyard will connect the old building with the new one and by keeping them independent from each other, provides architectural unity. Opening is planned for 2010. E.S.