Sub-project in the future plan
Construction
The architectural foundation for the natural history museum of the 21st century
Background
The building housing the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is a listed building and has a long history. At the same time, it presents the museum with major structural challenges. War damage, decades of limited investment and outdated technical infrastructure continue to affect many areas to this day.
Through the Museum Evolution project, we are taking the museum’s development to the next level. We are renovating, modernising and expanding the site on Invalidenstraße – whilst research, collection work and exhibition operations continue as usual.
Whilst construction is already underway in Berlin-Mitte, the ground-breaking ceremony for the Collection and Research Centre in Adlershof is scheduled for 2026. The new second site is an essential part of the Museum’s structural evolution.
Many of the measures in the historic building initially concern areas behind the scenes. They improve working conditions in research and collections and create stable conservation conditions for the scientific holdings – in future at two locations in Berlin.
At the same time, new spaces and visitor experiences are being created. Step by step, an open, accessible and sustainable research museum of the 21st century is taking shape.
Why a comprehensive overhaul is necessary
The museum is in dire need of renovation. Parts of the building still bear visible traces of the destruction caused by the Second World War.
Bullet holes in the façades, unfinished sections of the building, makeshift roof repairs and outdated technical systems demonstrate how long fundamental renovations have been neglected. In some areas, lack of space, inadequate fire safety or limited accessibility restrict research and museum operations.
This situation can no longer be resolved through isolated repairs. It requires a long-term structural development plan for the entire museum site.
Thanks to joint funding from the federal government and the State of Berlin as part of the Future Plan, we can now tackle this task comprehensively.
A historic column in an exhibition hall in the west wing of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin that was no longer structurally sound. As part of the ongoing renovation work, it was replaced in accordance with conservation guidelines.
Photo: Carola Radke
The windows in the façade of the main building, which have been hastily bricked up, are evidence of makeshift measures taken after the Second World War.
Photo: Pablo Castagnola
Bullet holes from the final days of the Second World War in the museum’s façade. These marks are preserved as historical evidence, provided they do not compromise the structural integrity of the building.
Photo: Pablo Castagnola
Guiding principles for urban development
All construction projects are guided by four binding fundamental principles:
Changes at the Invalidenstraße site
Over the coming years, new facilities for research, exhibitions and social interaction will be built at the historic site in Berlin-Mitte.
Plans include, amongst other things:
- a barrier-free route for visitors with clearly marked tours through the museum
- additional exhibition spaces extending up to the second floor
- new spaces for education, dialogue and participation
- a comprehensive energy-efficiency upgrade of the building and its technical systems
- barrier-free access via the main entrance and forecourt
- new spatial connections between the exhibition and the research collection on display
Accessibility plays a central role for us. In future, the museum should be accessible to as many people as possible.
Next milestones
Visualisation of one of the current courtyards following restoration in accordance with heritage conservation guidelines and the installation of a roof
Photo: gmp Architekten
The courtyard of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, which is being renovated in accordance with conservation guidelines and covered to create new exhibition space as part of the museum’s redevelopment
Photo: Carola Radke
Visualisation of a possible opening of the museum building onto Invalidenstraße, featuring a redesigned forecourt and a barrier-free entrance
Photo: gmp Architekten
Historic staircase in the main building: As part of the museum’s evolution, the upper floors are being opened to visitors for the first time – just as originally planned before the museum opened in 1889.
Photo: Pablo Castagnola
The north wing of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, which is in need of renovation: as part of the museum’s development, an extension is being built here – as originally planned – to house new laboratories and workspaces.
Photo: Carola Radke
Adlershof – a second site for collections and research
Alongside the construction work on Invalidenstraße, a new collection and research centre is being built in Berlin-Adlershof. The ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled for 2026.
The new site will provide much-needed space for collections, laboratories, digitisation and international collaborations. At the same time, it will relieve pressure on the historic building in Berlin-Mitte.
To enable the construction work in Mitte to go ahead, large parts of the collection must first be relocated within the historic building. Some sub-collections will later move permanently to Adlershof.
We are making targeted use of these relocations for the conservation, scientific cataloguing and digitisation of the holdings. The construction project and the cataloguing of the collection are directly intertwined.
Visualisation of the planned collection and research centre of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin in Adlershof
Photo: agn Niederberghaus & Partner GmbH
Historic exhibition hall in the central block of the main building prior to renovation as part of the so-called second phase of construction
Photo: Carola Radke
Following the refurbishment, the hall in the central building will serve as a temporary home for parts of the mammal collection. As the museum continues to evolve, the skins will eventually be moved to the new collection and research centre in Adlershof.
Photo: Carola Radke
Historical mammal skins show clear signs of ageing over time. At the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, we are investigating how such specimens can be better preserved and stored in the long term.
Photo: Carola Radke
As part of the collection cataloguing process, staff are re-cataloguing specimens in the mammal collection. This work supports the planning and coordination of the relocations taking place as part of the Museum Evolution project.
Photo: Pablo Castagnola
Three construction phases on the path to the museum’s evolution
Work on the museum’s development began many years before the current overall project. Three construction phases along the east-west axis of the historic building have laid the groundwork for the project.
East Wing
First construction phase (completed)
The first construction phase involved the reconstruction of the east wing, which had been destroyed during the Second World War. Its opening in 2010 marked the creation of a state-of-the-art building for a scientific wet collection.
Large parts of this collection could, for the first time, be preserved for the long term. At the same time, they were integrated into the exhibition route and thus made visible to visitors.
Central Building
Second construction phase (completed)
The second construction phase improved logistics, security and working conditions in other parts of the building. New conservation and technical standards were integrated into the listed building.
This phase also paved the way for the gradual opening of the research collections to the public. At the same time, the museum began using sustainable building materials and renewable energy sources.
Two of the galleries renovated during this phase will become part of the museum’s programme from August 2026.
West Wing
Third construction phase
The third construction phase, currently underway, continues this development. It involves the renovation of the west wing of the main building, the modernisation of exhibition and collection halls as well as technical facilities, and the creation of additional spaces for research, teaching and education.
Completion is scheduled for the end of 2026. After that, further historic halls can be put back into use step by step – including, in the future, the Historic Bird Hall. Some of the specimens on display there are currently part of the special exhibition ‘ZUGvögel – A Collection in Motion’.
Further information on the ongoing construction work in the museum’s west wing can be found in the image gallery below.
Ongoing construction work in the west wing
Diagram of the current museum building – marked: ongoing construction work in the west wing 
Lecture theatre in the west wing of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin before renovation work began
Photo: Carola Radke
Visualisation of a refurbished historic lecture theatre in the west wing of the museum (project currently under construction) 
The former Zoological Library in the west wing, following the removal of the collections and prior to the start of construction work 
Visualisierung der geplanten Mediothek im Westflügel des Museums (Vorhaben im laufenden Bauabschnitt) 
The historic Bird Hall in the west wing of the main building of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin prior to renovation
Photo: Carola Radke
A view of the cleared-out Historic Bird Hall during its restoration in accordance with conservation guidelines (as of 2025)
Photo: Eran Wolff
Join us on our museum’s journey
The construction phases completed to date, the further development of the site on Invalidenstraße and the new building in Adlershof together form the architectural foundation for the museum’s evolution.
Step by step, a museum is emerging that safeguards its collections for the long term, facilitates excellent research and makes knowledge about nature accessible to a democratic society.
We invite you to join us on our YouTube channel as we continue our journey into the future!