Renovation and new construction projects for cultural institutions often raise the question: How can performance operations be maintained during the construction period? Interim buildings from NUSSLI offer theaters and concert halls the opportunity to continue their cultural mission without interruption.
Sophisticated and flexible interim buildings in temporary or rapid construction meet the high demands that theater, music and drama productions place on a venue. One notable example is the Staatstheater Kassel, which is building a temporary venue for 850 visitors for the renovation of the opera house.
How can a theater maintain its operations if the main building is being rebuilt? Lord Mayor Sven Schoeller sums up what this question means for Kassel, a city rich in theater tradition: "It is not a question of whether a replacement venue will be built, but only how it can be realized in the short time remaining." On behalf of the city, NUSSLI is implementing the planned interim building in temporary modular system construction.
The tradition-rich city of Kassel, home to the oldest permanent theater building and the Kassel State Orchestra, is embarking on a major project: the State Theater will be renovated from the 2025/2026 season, which is why the city of Kassel has commissioned NUSSLI to build an interim venue.
Based on a 22-metre-high steel structure, a modern multifunctional building with 850 seats is being created, offering a wide range of set-up options and an orchestra pit. The technical equipment is designed so that it can be quickly and easily adapted to different types of events, from classical theater performances to concerts and modern performances. This will make the interim venue an important cultural center during the renovation of the Staatstheater and contribute to the attractiveness of the city. "Easy accessibility, a high quality of stay, including gastronomic offerings and intensive artistic experiences should make this place pulsate in the coming years," says Lord Mayor Schoeller.
NUSSLI has already made a name for itself with the realization of venues in temporary and rapid construction and has successfully implemented a wide variety of concepts. An impressive example: the Isarphilharmonie in Munich, which NUSSLI realized for the Gasteig cultural center, which also required a high-quality interim solution due to renovation work. The requirements of the city of Nuremberg, which finally received its long-awaited multifunctional hall with the construction of the Kia Metropol Arena, were somewhat different. Here too, the construction method with a high degree of prefabrication enabled rapid implementation with high construction quality, flexibility and functionality for a wide variety of sporting and cultural events.
Munich's Gasteig is being renovated and is therefore temporarily relocating to the interim quarters Gasteig HP8 in the Sendling district. The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra will be the first to reside there from 8 October 2021 and will celebrate its relocation with a grand opening program. As general contractor, NUSSLI realized the temporary building in record time.
Sports fans, culture lovers and event visitors to Nuremberg have been looking forward to this for a long time: after around a year of construction, the hall at Tillypark has been ready for sports and cultural events with up to 4,000 spectators since August. As the total contractor, NUSSLI was responsible for the entire large-scale project, including planning services on the 25,000 m2 site.
Construction is still underway in Kassel. But what will happen to the interim venue once it has been used has been clear from the outset. This is because the temporary venue can then be completely dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere. This shows that modular buildings are an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to costly conversions of existing buildings.
