The design considered the slope of the site acted as a connective link between the two parallel streets. This connection was provided with a circular courtyard or a rotunda with the ramp making the building part of the urban design. The Staatsgalarie design provoked a vivid debate about postmodernism and German Architecture. Post modern design moved away from "form follows function" and used elements from classical architecture often out of context, something made possible by new building methods and materials.
Open air rotunda is the reminiscent of the Alte museum, Villa Madama and also the Colosseum with its colossal ensemble of columns, gables and architraves and stone facings. These elements all emphasizes the function of the museum as a public building.
