Congress Hall in Saarbrücken, D
description

A redesign in which the main goal was to improve the acoustics of the C ongress Hall, a building dating from the 1960s. A lthough in architectural terms it is a respectable testimony to this period, the hall was conceived as a multi-functional building and was not deigned especially for the performance of classical music. T oday, however, the C ongress Hall is the permanent home of the Deutsche Philharmonie S aarbrücken and of the S aarländisches Staatsorchester. The alterations works had to be carried out in a very short time, with a very small budget and more or less while the hall was still operating: the rear wall of the podium was shifted backwards and tilted – it is now bordered by mobile side walls –, the new ceiling to the podium was made at a higher level. A new gallery – a lightweight construction using steel “blades” with brackets – represents a careful intervention that makes no assault upon the existing building. The carpeting in the hall had to be replaced by “harder” linoleum; the soffits and the gallery parapets are made in pear wood. T he wall cladding of the old building was preserved but was painted red and the joints were filled with brass sections. T his measure was rather expensive, but is of decisive importance for the atmosphere in the hall.
DATA

Client: Congress Centrum Saar GmbH
Start of planning: 2006
Start of construction: 2007
Completion: 2007
Usable floor area: 1.378 m2
Enclosed volume: 16.107 m3