Berlin's long-awaited Berlin Modern museum has been delayed again, with its opening now pushed to 2030 due to moisture damage in the building's shell and microbial contamination in other parts of the structure. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation announced the delay after the Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcasting Corporation broke the story. The Herzog & de Meuron-designed building, originally scheduled to open this year as the Museum of the 20th Century, has faced multiple setbacks since groundbreaking in December 2019, with completion dates slipping from 2026 to 2028, then 2029, and now 2030. The project's cost has ballooned from €200 million to €507 million.
The repeated delays and cost overruns matter because they highlight significant flaws in the planning and construction of a major cultural institution in one of Europe's most important art capitals. The museum, an extension of the Neue Nationalgalerie, is intended to house a large collection of 20th-century European art, including works by Gerhard Richter, Joseph Beuys, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Critics have pointed to unsustainable design choices, such as the use of concrete and an energy-intensive ventilation system. The delays also affect the Neue Nationalgalerie, which can only display a portion of its collection at its current premises and had planned to begin exhibiting art in the new building before its official opening.