The striking building on the erstwhile ‘diplomatic racetrack’ was designed by the Viennese architect Gustav Peichl. It was the serene poetic character of his design that tipped the scales in his favour and singled it out among the thirty-five entries submitted to the jury of the initial ideas competition. The jury protocol of October 1986 states: ‘Both in terms of function and design, the revised concept seeks to reflect the democracy at the heart of Europe in the new building of the Federal Kunsthalle. The well-conceived, fully functional internal space and the poetic character of the exterior imbue the building with a highly distinctive physiognomy. (…) Clad in stone and copper sheeting, the eye-catching, individually designed light spires signal the cultural and artistic content of the building.’ The three iconic cones – now resplendent in bright blue majolica tiles – quickly came to be seen not just as the emblem of the new kunsthalle, but as an instantly recognisable landmark of the city of Bonn.
The building provides a differentiated and versatile system of small, medium and large rooms with a total of 5,600 square metres that can be lit with daylight and artificial light. The configuration of the galleries meets practically every requirement a curator might have, allowing for large-scale exhibitions as well as for more intimate cabinet presentations. The landscaped roof garden – Peichl referred to it as the ‘fifth façade’ – serves as a public space for sculpture and garden exhibitions and adds another 8,000 square metres to the exhibition space available.