Architectural filmographers 9sekunden have collaborated with David Chipperfield architects to create a short film about the extension the Kunsthaus Museum extension in Zurich, Switzerland. The feature shows visitors' journey through the new building, coming across the interactive installation "The Sense of Things" by renowned choreographer William Forsythe. Walking through the architecture, paired with the curiosity of the people entering the space, the film highlights the interplay of culture, urbanity, and the built environment of the city of Zurich.
The director's cut reveals in-depth perspectives of the building, the relationship between interior and exterior, and how the structure is topographically embedded within the urban atmosphere of the city. The extension houses a collection of classic modernist artwork and temporary exhibitions. Its architectural identity takes inspiration from traditional stone façades found on the existing Kunsthaus, as well as other significant public buildings in the Swiss city, combining tradition and innovation through slender vertical column-like fins crafted from local limestone.
The design concept behind the project was based on the "placement of a clear geometric volume on the northern edge of the square". The architects took inspiration from the historic 1842-built cantonal school, which sits at the north of the site. The museum now stands as the largest art museum in the country, comprising four buildings: the Moser building (1910), the Pfister building (1958), the Müller building (1976), and now the Chipperfield extension (2020).
Early 2019, German design firm 22quadrat founded 9sekunden, a film studio specialized in short landscape and architecture documentaries. 9sekunden is a team of young spatial designers of diverse professions backgrounds who have combined their passion for moving stills with architecture, urbanism, and nature. That year, the team put together a film that explores Tadao Ando's Conference Pavilion, taking viewers on a meditative journey that portrays the concrete structure's calm and restrained atmosphere.
