The Museum Haus
Konstruktiv is located in the former electrical
substation Selnau. It served the City of Zurich
as a converter station supplying the city with
its electricity for approximately 100 years. The
oldest part of the building dates back to 1898
but in 1929/32, it was converted by Hermann
Herter, the city planner, into an
integrated construction in the style of new
architecture. The ewz-Unterwerk Selnau closed
down in 1998 and the City of Zurich classified
the building as an historical monument,
redeveloped it and converted it into a cultural
centre. The conversion was carried out by
the architectural practice of Meier + Steinauer
Partner AG in 2000/01.
The museum is one of the
few in Europe dedicated to preserving the
legacy of Concrete and Constructive art,
represented by artists including Max Bill,
Camille Graeser, Richard Paul Lohse and
Verena Loewensberg.
The museum's website says
that, "... A modern
museum has come into being on five
floors, with fourteen exhibition rooms
over 1200 square meters. From the foyer
in the entrance area there is an
uninterrupted view of the old crane
site, to the left of which is the shop
and cafeteria. The exhibition rooms,
each with their individual ambiance can
be reached via the central staircase and
provide a varied tour through the
building. The attic, with its open steel
construction, houses one of the most
beautiful libraries in the city. The
former rectifier hall in the left wing
and its basement are used for cultural
events by the ewz."
