Deutsches Architektur-Museum

Located on the Museumsufer in Frankfurt am Main, the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) is dedicated to presenting architecture as a cultural subject and an exhibition practice.

The museum is housed in a neoclassical double villa built in 1912 in the Sachsenhausen-Nord district. During an extensive conversion between 1979 and 1984 the historic building was gutted and an independent reinforced-concrete structure installed inside as a "house within a house." A single-storey exhibition hall was erected on the former garden site, and a newly created entrance area toward the Main significantly altered the villa’s external appearance. Shortly after the reopening the building was placed under monument protection and was taken into account in subsequent construction measures. At the end of September 2021 the institution closed for renovation and remodeling; exhibitions continued in interim premises. Criticism of the earlier redesign had cited cramped exhibition spaces, difficult circulation and impairments to the auditorium. After completion of the work, the DAM reopened at its traditional location in early June 2025.

The museum was created as part of the city’s Museumsufer plan; the initial concept was developed by an art and architectural historian who also became its director. In the 1990s declines in visitor numbers and substantial budget cuts at times prompted discussions about closure or relocation. A 2001 renovation brought, alongside structural renewal, a reorientation: increased presentation of contemporary architecture, accessible mediation for both specialist audiences and the general public, an emphasis on experiential value, and a role as a meeting place for business and architects. Under subsequent leadership visitor numbers more than tripled.

Today the DAM sees itself equally as a museum and an exhibition venue. Alongside a permanent collection, rotating exhibitions shape its profile; collecting and acquisitions continue, but traditional subjects are presented in contemporary stagings. The museum shows not only the completed building but also the process of its creation. A central task remains balancing architecture as an aesthetic discipline for a few and as a subject for a broad public. Funding: neither the federal government nor the state of Hesse provide subsidies; the city of Frankfurt covers the building, staff and roughly one third of the budget, while exhibitions, publications and events must be co-financed by sponsors.

The DAM awards or participates in several prizes, including DAM Preis, Internationaler Hochhaus Preis, DAM Architectural Book Award, Europäischer Architekturfotografie Preis, Bauwelt Preis, European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award (participation in the steering and advisory committee), European Prize for Urban Public Space, Häuser des Jahres and the Architecture + Technology Award (granted in 2003 and 2006).

Since 1980 the DAM has published the Deutsche Architektur Jahrbuch; a rotating jury presents outstanding buildings of the previous year. Since 2007 the DAM Prize for Architecture has also been awarded as part of the yearbook, and the museum concurrently exhibits the selected projects.