Lounge Haus der Geschichte Bonn

Haus der Geschichte is a museum in Bonn, Germany that focuses on German history from the end of World War II up until the present day. It offers exhibitions, events, online projects and publications. The museum has a permanent exhibition called “Our History. Germany since 1945” and organizes four temporary shows each year. The Information Center in the museum needed to be improved to meet the needs of younger visitors who process a lot of information and may experience “attention fatigue”.

The goal was to create a welcoming Lounge – the official new name of the Information Center – where visitors can relax, mingle and process information in a different way. The challenge was to incorporate the lounge into the existing architecture, aligning it with the museum’s experiential value but not becoming part of it.

To better understand the needs of the Lounge, includi traveled to Bonn. We lived and worked at the job site for a week, as we conducted the design through a sequence of intense live workshops together with the President and staff of the Haus. By doing so, we created a design that fits the House of History – not only our personal needs. Breaking out of the neutral mold, we added the color yellow along with nuanced textures to the fairly rigid scheme of the original situation. While the colors became louder, neutrality was maintained in form by selecting a shape that brings people together: a circle. This circle also allows elements of the Lounge to be used outside as well.

By creating the Lounge, we were able to add another layer of informality to the public sphere of the museum. On the architecturally integrated stage in the Lounge, contemporary witnesses can be interviewed or authors present their books. Visitors may take a seat on one of the comfortable sofas to read magazines, newspapers and books on contemporary German history. For a more modern twist on the past, they can also choose to experience the sonic chairs and tablets with digital information access for history enthusiasts. Honoring the integrity of Germany’s turbulent history in an accessible and modern way, Haus der Geschichte presented its users with a valuable anniversary gift.