Like a fish in a large Aquarium, the visitors move in this glass box. The brightly-lit, oversized Foyer takes the house, its Heavy. This window to the city perched on a forecourt, on the trams. This is a known? Who now thinks of the City Opera on Willy-Brandt-Platz. From a distance, the Palace of culture in Dresden is actually the Frankfurt double system of acting and Opera. But it is the stage tower is missing, of course.
Rainer Schulze
editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.
F. A. Z.
Both buildings date from the same time. The Frankfurt theatre complex was built in 1963. The Palace of culture, an outstanding example of the East-Modern, opened in 1969 in the former GDR. Amazing that in all the ideological Differences on both sides of the intra-German border, yet so similar in the style of international Modernism was built.
For the careful renovation of the Palace of culture, the office GMP Architekten von Gerkan, Marg and partners has been awarded with the DAM price in 2019 of the German Museum of architecture, where the concept of remediation describes only the preparation of the case correct, but overall wrong impression. From the inside, namely, it is actually a new building.
Lessons from the renovation of the Palace of culture
The architects have made previously for conventions, concerts, and other events used in the multi-purpose room during the day open and recorded cultural centre. For the Dresden Philharmonic orchestra, a new concert hall with a spectacular interior, which is famous for its acoustics. This room is surrounded on three sides by a large city library. The ground floor space for a cabaret stage. The architects decided to create for each of the facilities in the Palace of culture and their own entrances and staircases. They put the developing Central into the large Foyer. In addition, GMP was in the rehabilitation is not radical, but tried to change as little as possible to the familiar appearance. The architects were looking for original replacement parts and used the old window frames. The building is again remained recognizable.
you Can learn from the renovation of the Palace of culture something for the ailing Frankfurt stages? I have to say no. In spite of the formal Similarity of both buildings are not comparable. In Frankfurt, for it was built on an old building that was still partially behind the modern facade. The building is so used, and nested in that is a renovation brings that are difficult to calculate risks. Especially since two of the theatres with all their technology equal to modernise more and more difficult to as a multi-purpose hall. This is also reflected in the Figures: The Budget for the approximately 105 million Euro, amazingly cheap renovation of the Palace of culture was only slightly exceeded. The cost for upgrading of the Frankfurt double system, in contrast, are estimated at 900 million euros. The experts of GMP to keep this value to be realistic.
The 25 best houses in the last two years
The Palace of culture is not the only building that is to be admired in the exhibition in the architecture Museum. The 25 best houses, which were completed between late 2016 and spring 2018, will be presented to the boards on the wall. Who doubts occasionally, because of his Faith in the future of democracy, the will be pleased that many of the education buildings of the projects nominated. To call the city library of Rottenburg, which blends sensitively into the old town, the Philosophical Seminar in Münster, Inside of which the students get on a long ladder to heaven in the high air, and the pleasant Offenbacher port school of Waechter and Waechter. The Darmstadt-based office is still represented with a further place of learning in the exhibition. In Bonn, a friendly seminar building, the development assistant on your service to be prepared. A second focus is on the housing. In Berlin, an inclusive construction project, shows how concept award affordable housing. The aesthetic appeal of the rugged building opens up but not immediately.
