Pile Dwelling Museum in Unteruhldingen — combination of archaeological research and contemporary, modern wooden construction

The new extension to the oldest archaeological open-air museum in Germany was opened in June 2024. The shape of the modern wooden building is reminiscent of an oversized dugout boat that has been pulled ashore and turned over. It serves as a visitor center and exhibition hall.

The new building was designed by a+r architects in such a way that it appropriately presents the cultural heritage of the pile dwellings, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while at the same time offering visitors a pioneering, interactive and informative experience.

The museum is one of the most visited in Europe and has been offering insights into thousands of years of human history for over 100 years. When entering the new, daylight-flooded visitor hall, the open roof structure impresses with its impressive beam construction. A dugout canoe floats in the middle of the room and symbolically forms a dividing line between the exhibits on the ground floor, which can be discovered under water, and contemporary witnesses from land, which are presented on the upper floor. In addition to daylight, energy-efficient LED light sources were integrated into the architectural concept of the new building in order to minimize the museum's ecological footprint. Along the gallery, NauticProfil® lines all around, with a length of approx. 65 meters, provide indirect, atmospheric lighting.

Wood dominates both the interior and the exterior façade as the environmentally friendly building material, which harmoniously adapts to the look of the stilt houses, which are up to 100 years old, thereby creating a connection between the past and the present.