Culture & Heritage centre, Blankenberg (DE)
New building,
Timber construction
Client: Stadt Hennef
Location: D-53773 Stadt Blankenberg
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Competition: 2019, 1. prize
Construction: 2022 – 2025
Programme: Heimathaus: visitor centre with exhibition room, café, shop, event hall and archive; Kulturscheune: multi-purpose hall for 150 people; fire brigade
Visualisation: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Team
Georg Haizmann, Isabelle Krämer, Johannes Krüger, Dominik Malz (Project management), Björn Osmann (Project management)
Text: Gerlinde Jüttner
Partners
Building services: ZWP Ingenieur-AG, Wiesbaden
Landscape: Faktorgruen, Freiburg
Vibrant cultural life
The medieval town of Blankenberg with its picturesque alleyways, half-timbered houses and historic castle can be seen from afar, perched on a rocky spur above the River Sieg. In order to keep this special place alive, the town is investing in a new cultural and heritage centre on the former site of the fire station opposite the historic town wall and the town center.
Our concept separates the different functions and divides them into several buildings, which are loosely arranged to resemble traditional village structures. The L-shaped new fire station consists of two buildings: the vehicle depot and the functional wing, which is offset by 90 degrees.
The complex "Heimathaus"
The multi-section Culture and Heritage Center houses the visitor hub with exhibition space, café, store and multifunctional event hall as well as the museum's archive. The gable-roofed, adjoining structures are slightly offset from one another, creating a lively frontage that faces the "village square".
The Heimathaus is constructed as a solid reinforced concrete building. The durability and robustness of the construction is reflected in a shell of demolition masonry with a slurry finish. Inside, light-coloured glazed exposed concrete surfaces and rough-sawn oak floors contribute to its harmonious atmosphere.
Educational open space concept
The open space concept interweaves the Kulturhaus, The Heimathaus and the fire station into an overall structure that communicates on all sides. An educational garden with beekeeping and old fruit varieties and a green classroom invite visitors to explore.
The open "Kulturscheune"
This culture barn is an open structure slightly angled towards the square. The one-room concept allows for flexible year-round use. The arrangement of the new buildings opens up views of the historic city wall, the old town and the parish church. At the same time, the newly created pedestrian bridge and the public path network are integrated. Similar to an amphitheatre, the stepped landscaping in the south invites people to sit and linger and spatially completes the central square.
The culture barn is a hybrid construction consisting of a solid base and a lightweight timber structure on top. The timber construction and the open roof truss remain visible.
The L-shaped fire station
The new fire station consists of two buildings: the vehicle depot and the functional wing, which is offset by 90 degrees. The L-shaped ensemble is located on the main road and shields the residential area behind it from noise.
In the fire station, the components that come into contact with the ground are also constructed from solid timber. The construction of the lightweight timber structure above allows the large span of the carriage shed to be realised economically and enables fast and precise construction.
