Pritzker Prize-winning architect Francis Kéré's Berlin-based firm, Kéré Architecture, has been selected to design a new museum dedicated to photographer and documentary filmmaker Alfred Ehrhardt in the small village of Plüschow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The Museum Ehrhardt, scheduled for completion by 2027, represents Kéré's first museum project in Germany and marks his European cultural building debut.

The museum will honor the legacy of Alfred Ehrhardt (1901-1984), a significant figure in the New Objectivity movement who gained recognition for his nature studies in the Wadden Sea and on the Curonian Spit. Beyond his photographic and cinematic work, Ehrhardt also left behind paintings, drawings, and art education writings that will be featured in the new facility.

The project was initiated by Ehrhardt's son Jens Ehrhardt and his wife Elke Weicht-Ehrhardt, whose family has deep roots in the rural region of Northwest Mecklenburg. The wooden structure will be situated near the historic Plüschow Castle, which currently serves as an artist residency, and is designed to integrate harmoniously with the open landscape.

Spanning approximately 1,400 square meters, the museum will house the Alfred Ehrhardt collection alongside rotating exhibitions of contemporary works. The two-story building features a distinctive gabled roof and emphasizes sustainable construction through its use of wood and rammed earth materials, which reference regional building traditions.

The architectural centerpiece is an organically curved, 80-meter-long rammed earth wall that runs through the interior, with oval-shaped rooms at each end on both floors. These spaces will serve multiple functions, including film screenings, projections, and special events, creating flexible venues for various cultural activities.

The ground floor will accommodate a café and open meeting areas, while the upper level will feature a rooftop garden covered by an open wooden structure. The architects have designed both the structural framework and interior finishes to enable complete material separation for future deconstruction, emphasizing the project's commitment to sustainable practices.

Kéré Architecture collaborated with HK Architects from Schwarzach on the distinctive wooden construction, with HK Architects also handling the execution and detailed planning phases. The garden design, which directly connects to the café and incorporates rainwater collection systems to reduce irrigation consumption, will be managed by Erik Dhont Landscape Architects, with offices in Brussels, Geneva, and Milan.

This museum project represents a significant addition to Germany's cultural landscape, bringing international architectural recognition to rural Mecklenburg while celebrating the artistic legacy of one of the region's most important cultural figures. The combination of sustainable design principles, regional material usage, and flexible exhibition spaces positions the Museum Ehrhardt as a model for contemporary cultural institutions in rural settings.