Gold Seals And Flying Lights

2023 Author : Hannah Pearcy | [email protected] . Last modified: 2023-07-30 18:55

Actually, it should only be a technical repair. The fact that the Darmstadt State Theater has now also changed aesthetically, even structurally, is due to the intelligent acting of the architectural firm Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei. Armin Scharf The three-division house on the edge of the center of Darmstadt was first used in 1972 and is a child of car-friendly urban planning of that time. Instead of a receiving portal, an entrance worthy of the name, the theater was given four access lanes to the basement, which was completely designed as an underground car park. From there it went directly into the foyer, a stroll through the surrounding park was not planned. It is therefore not surprising that the cubic buildings clad with fine marble slabs never reached Darmstadt in terms of urban planning. All-round training

• The venue had reached its limits 30 years after the opening. Fire protection, stage and house technology, the furnishing of foyers and halls were fundamentally in need of renovation. The decades also left their mark on the extensively used exposed concrete and on the curtain wall.
• The State of Hesse made 70 million euros available, launched a competition and gave the green light when the winning office spoke with additional ideas. It didn't just want to leave it with the technical repairs, it also wanted to do something for the aesthetics and atmospheric modernization. Because, according to Arno Lederer, a patched smock may work again, but it doesn't make it more attractive. That seemed to be convincing, Lederer and his team were allowed to work, albeit with the same budget. However, since 90 percent of the funds were earmarked for structural improvements, the scope remained narrow. In view of this, the result is all the more surprising.

Stage growth in the garage Since the partial renovation, which started in 2002, should not affect game operations, a replacement venue was required. While the theater management initially considered a rental tent in front of the house, the architects proposed another, initially bizarre, but ultimately extremely elegant and enriching solution: the rededication of part of the car zone. Oversized anyway, three of the access lanes were built over with an interim hall including foyer, bar, new employee access and gate. The makeshift stage quickly became the darling of Darmstadt's culture lovers, costing no more than the theater tent, which is difficult to play and supply, received numerous accolades in the trade press and even a place during the renowned Architecture Biennale 2006 in Venice. In the meantime it has become the Kammerspiele, an institution with a permanent existence. This is actually a banal box, made from simple materials such as lightweight concrete blocks, mastic asphalt, plasterboard, glass blocks and of course color. The stairways in bright red, the foyer in deep brown, a combination that needs getting used to, certainly, but also an unmistakable one. The Kammerspiele offer 200 seats and have transformed the previously dreary driveway into a friendly, illuminating event thanks to the backlit glass block wall. Swinging entrance building The new access feeling in the basement is now followed by a new portal that leads from the park to the theater with shimmering golden doors. Made of white concrete with a swinging shape, it confidently stands in front of the old cubes. On the first floor, another balcony opens up to the city, a stage with red double doors. The existing cubes, in turn, now appear with isolated brass panels connected to the marble cladding. Wherever the marble slabs were loose, one of these "gold seals" was inserted - and so created a rigor with playful ingenuity. The removed marble slabs are now part of the interior and can be found today in the foyer, at the box office and at the break counter. Black, white and color white also dominate inside. White fixtures detached from the floor, curved counters, plus golden accents on the cash registers, which ensure appropriate grandeur. And then there is the gallery, which spans several levels: the ceiling stretches black, like the unfathomable universe,which is enlivened by a multitude of curved ceiling sails. Their delicate polychrome covers the darkness and illuminates the room with the integrated lighting. With this symbiosis of serious stock and cheerful, lively renewal, the State Theater is an extremely successful example of how to deal with difficult architectural heirlooms. The project also received an award for this - with a second prize in the “Building in Existing” competition of the Wüstenrot Foundation. Client: Hessisches Baumanagement, Darmstadt Architects: Arno Lederer, Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir, Marc Oei Execution: Maler Plauen GmbH, PlauenWith this symbiosis of serious stock and cheerful, lively renewal, the State Theater is an extremely successful example of how to deal with difficult architectural heirlooms. The project also received an award for this - with a second prize in the “Building in Existing” competition of the Wüstenrot Foundation. Client: Hessisches Baumanagement, Darmstadt Architects: Arno Lederer, Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir, Marc Oei Execution: Maler Plauen GmbH, PlauenWith this symbiosis of serious stock and cheerful, lively renewal, the State Theater is an extremely successful example of how to deal with difficult architectural heirlooms. The project was also awarded for this - with a second prize in the “Building in Existing” competition of the Wüstenrot Foundation. Client: Hessisches Baumanagement, Darmstadt Architects: Arno Lederer, Jórunn Ragnarsdóttir, Marc Oei Execution: Maler Plauen GmbH, Plauen