MUNICH.- The first building phase to improve energy efficiency in the Alte Pinakothek is entering its final stages. To speed up progress the following building phases have been revised and consolidated:

The small exhibition rooms 16–23 on the ground floor (Brueghel, etc.) will now be closed from 07.12.2015; on 11.01.2016 these will be followed by Rooms XI–XIII (Old German altarpieces) on the ground floor. The Museum Shop will also have to move from its familiar location.

The exhibition “New Neighbours II” currently running is to be extended until 31.01.2016. After this date these rooms in the Special Exhibition Area in the Klenze Portal will also have to be vacated.

Probably in April 2016, following the re-opening of Rooms VII–IX on the first floor that are closed at present (the two Rubens rooms and the Dutch Painting room), Rooms I–III in the eastern-most section of the building housing Early Netherlandish and Early German painting will also be closed. Rooms X–XIII on the first floor will remain closed as these are directly or indirectly effected by the building work as well.

As a consequence, in the coming year – in 2016 – the pinakothek's visitors’ patience will be tested to the full.

The third and final round will begin in 2017 with the renovation of Rooms IV–VI on the first floor (Raphael, Titian, van Dyck). During all phases it is planned to keep the entire museum fully operational. This will bring certain restrictions with it for the builders as special protection measures will be necessary. To preserve the sensitive textile wall coverings the air conditioning system will remain in operation in the rooms closed. This in turn requires the use of complex ambient temperature and dust protection devices in the rooms in which work is being carried out to the roof area or the windows.

Up-to-date information on the renovation can be found on our website: www.pinakothek.de/sanierung-alte-pinakothek. This also includes a clear graphic overview of the building phases.

Why is renovation necessary?
The lighting in the Alte Pinakothek has been unsatisfactory for a number of years; the museum’s energy balance – based on today’s criteria – no less so. In the Alte Pinakothek at present, artificial lighting has to be turned on even in bright sunshine. In future, a new system of blinds for top-lit rooms will enable the optimum use of daylight.

Sensors will ensure that infinitely variable artificial lighting is only turned on when the natural light is insufficient. The glazed panels in the dust-proof ceilings in top-lit rooms will be replaced to improve the level of translucency and diffusion of light.

During renovation work windows that have been defective for many years will also be restored. In total, more than 1,400 panes have to be replaced.

While all of these measures will have a positive effect on the museum’s energy consumption levels, the insulation of the roof and the use of state-of-the-art insulated glazing will also have a decisive impact on energy savings and contribute towards reducing the museum’s environmental footprint.

The renovation of the Alte Pinakothek is closely coupled to the Bavarian state government’s intensive efforts to fulfil energy conservation targets set by the federal government of Germany.

At the same time art will be shown in a better light.

The overall costs will be in the order of 12 million eur