COMPETITION ORGANISER
MAGISTRACY, CITY OF GIESSEN

LOCATION
CITY OF GIESSEN

PROJECT TYPE
MONUMENT REFURBISHMENT AND NEW BUILDING

CONSTRUCTION COSTS, COST GROUPS 200 – 800
EUR 6,000,000.00

PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE STAGES 1–9

COMPETITION
1^ST PRIZE, IMPLEMENTATION COMPETITION

Especially in Giessen, where so few historical buildings have survived, it is hardly possible to find an appropriate location to communicate urban history: based on the relics of Giessen Castle, known as the Wasserburg, which forms the nucleus of the city, the two houses on Kirchenplatz represent different temporal layers – including one of the oldest half-timber houses in Hesse. Major measures and undermining extensions only weaken the concise nature of this unique ensemble.

The key architectural prerequisite for a pleasant museum experience is a connection between the two buildings, thereby enhancing their inviting character and enabling a coherent interior museum tour. The inserted, well-lit staircase guides visitors to all levels and makes the historical architecture and the exhibition very tangible. Although the finely-structured, transparent extension is clearly recognisable as a contemporary structure, it merges with the existing structures to form a homogeneous unity through its references to the identity-strengthening architecture. The enlarged entrance opening highlights the museum’s self-perception as a publicly open facility.

CLIENT
CITY OF LICHTENFELS

LOCATION
LICHTENFELS

PROJECT TYPE
CONVERSION AND NEW BUILDING

PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE STAGES 1 – 9

CONSTRUCTION COSTS KG 200 – 800
EUR 5,500,000.00 

GFA
1,840 M²

NFA
1,240 M²

The new city library consists of three volumes: the historical building on the market square, the reading room and a rear-courtyard building. Its organisation in elongated wings picks up on the urban structure, providing a height-development that conforms to the situation.

The reading room is developed without any spatial partition, out of the joint counter that can be locked using a mobile wall outside opening hours. It is structured by a wall of books, its lower section partitioning the library’s auxiliary functions on the ground floor. Its upper section separates the library’s quieter zones from the more lively reading steps.

The three floors of the rear-courtyard building accommodate reading desks, workplaces and the various departments with auxiliary functions. The floors are connected by free-standing stairs. The rooftop terrace on the reading room is designed as a spacious rooftop garden with seating; it is available both to users and to library employees, as well as passers by, serving as a peaceful retreat in the city centre.

CONSTRUCTION 2020 – 2024