Europe's largest cultural center with more than 1.8 million visitors annually is in dire need of complete refurbishment. However, it is impossible to renovate the Gasteig with its 1,800 performances per year – concerts, theater performances, films, readings, shows – without interrupting operations. Hence, in late summer 2021, the Gasteig and its institutions – Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the city library, adult education center, and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater (College of Music and Theatre) – will be relocating to an interim quarter with a temporary philharmonic hall and other rooms. Excavation and construction work is already underway on the premises of Stadtwerke München (city utilities) on Hans-Preißinger-Straße so that the diverse cultural offerings of the Gasteig can continue to be available during the renovation.
Roomy Interim Structure With Great Acoustics
The heart of the "Gasteig Sendling" is a five-story temporary philharmonic hall which, despite its modular design, offers an unparalleled concert experience with impressive dimensions. The acoustics of the concert hall with 1,800 seats in an interim structure measuring almost 60'000 m3 was designed by acoustics expert Yasuhisa Toyota and his firm Nagata Acoustics International. The architectural firm gmp International was responsible for the overall planning, including the idea, concept, and planning of the temporary concert hall. Swiss event contractor NUSSLI will be realizing the construction of the interim concert hall. "For us, the challenge lies in coordinating the manifold and in certain cases highly complex sub-projects such as the shell/cladding, interior fittings, ceiling landscape, philharmonic hall, technical building equipment, and fire protection. Hence, we are glad to have a strong, well-oiled team at work in Munich for this project, which will receive additional support from a local planning firm based in the city," says Roland Gebhardt, project director at NUSSLI. Gasteig CEO Max Wagner is extremely glad to have NUSSLI on board, a specialist for modular construction in the event industry: "gmp, Toyota and NUSSLI – truly a dream team! We are already looking forward to what will be an exceptional interim philharmonic hall."
Impressive Design, Sustainable Construction
The architectural concept by gmp combines the temporary modular structure with an existing former transformer hall from the city utilities dating back to the 1920s, which is also a listed building. This hall, which is currently already being refurbished, will later form the central meeting point of the "Gasteig Sendling" – housing the library, adult education center, and all information and ticketing facilities, as well as a cafe. For concert visitors, the hall will serve as the main entrance with the foyer, cloakrooms, staircases, and elevators which connect the old and new structures. The concert hall made of wood is surrounded by an external steel structure made of system materials. Parallel to the installation of the steel structure, the modules for the concert hall will be prefabricated from solid wood. These wooden modules will be placed and assembled on site. Here, the advantages of system construction with reusable material are combined with the speed of modular construction thanks to prefabrication. And above all, the pleasant spatial ambience of the wooden building with its outstanding acoustics will provide concert visitors with a unique concert experience.
Impressions
Awards
| Award | Status | Category |
|---|---|---|
| polis Award | Honorable Mention | Urbanes Flächenrecycling (urban land recycling) |