#Construction of a multifunctional conference centre in Saarbrücken #Urban regeneration of the surrounding area #Comprehensive energy and sustainability plan
Typology Exhibition centre Building volume GFA 10,000 m² Client CCS Congress-Centrum Saar GmbH Architecture kadawittfeldarchitektur Planning from 2023 Construction from 2025 Competition 2022 – 1st prize Certifications Aiming for DGNB Gold
#Construction of a multifunctional conference centre in Saarbrücken #Urban regeneration of the surrounding area #Comprehensive energy and sustainability plan
The listed Saarbrücken Congress Hall is being extended with a modern, multifunctional new building for conferences, trade fairs, exhibitions, concerts and seminars (MKK). The second primary objective, alongside expanding the cultural offering, is the urban regeneration of the surrounding area.
A key feature of the design is the solution to connect the new building to the existing one at ground level, without blocking the access route from the Congress Hall forecourt to the Bürgerpark. The old staircase between the car parks and the existing Congress Hall will be demolished for this purpose. In its place, a ‘green canyon’ will be created – a landscaped ramp that, beneath the connecting walkway between the two halls, provides a direct, barrier-free link to the park, which lies significantly lower. In this way, the greenery is extended further into the square, creating a spacious entrance to both the park and the River Saar.
“The building enters into a multifaceted dialogue with the listed Congress Hall and very effectively enhances the public spatial fabric through direct access to the Bürgerpark,” said the jury of the competition, which was won jointly with the engineering firm Hausladen and GREENBOX Landscape Architects.
A dynamic, polygonal freestanding piece
Issue: Connecting the new building to the existing Congress Hall would block access between the forecourt and the Saar.
A spacious, landscaped canyon continues to link the forecourt with the banks of the Saar.
The ‘Green Canyon’ opens out invitingly onto the congress forecourt and provides a new, spacious entrance to the existing car park. The open-space design is by GREENBOX Landscape Architects.
Competition renderings
With its visual unity of roof and façade, the new building provides a contemporary contrast to the existing structure. A welcoming, freestanding structure, its polygonal, pentagonal floor plan faces the listed Congress Hall and redefines the forecourt. Its form conceals its true volume, making it appear smaller than it is from many angles.
Competition model featuring the ‘Green Canyon’.
The height of the new building ensures that it blends in with the surrounding area.
The horizontal character of the existing Congress Hall, as well as the surrounding, landscaped layers of varying heights comprising ramps, stairs, seating steps and flower beds, are taken up and continued by the wraparound façade of ceramic slats. The roof contour follows the height requirements of the various functions and adapts to the neighbouring buildings. On Hafenstraße, it reaches its maximum height of 15 metres in a manner compatible with the urban fabric and from there slopes continuously down towards the forecourt and the entrance, until it reaches the height of the listed Congress Hall.
The spacious foyer, with its stepped roof and walls finished in natural clay, creates a unique atmosphere.
Visitors are welcomed by a spacious, polygonal foyer featuring a multifunctional exhibition area and direct access to the existing congress hall. The view of the forecourt is filtered through the ceramic slats. The two column-free halls, measuring 1,450 m² and 340 m², can be subdivided in a variety of ways and accommodate a wide range of event scenarios. On the north-east side are the delivery area and the administration offices, spread over two floors, as well as other service rooms with direct access and vehicle access from Hafenstraße.
The 1,450 m² column-free hall can be flexibly divided into up to seven separate rooms. The ceiling and wall design has been tailored to this purpose.
Ground floor plan with direct access at ground level to the listed Congress Hall.
The new Congress Hall can accommodate a wide variety of event set-ups, ranging from a single multifunctional space encompassing both halls and the foyer, to a more flexible layout divided into up to nine separate rooms.
Upper floor with seminar area and administration offices
Climate design
The comprehensive energy and sustainability concept was developed in collaboration with the engineering firm Hausladen. It is based on the guiding principle of maximising the building’s inherent passive characteristics to minimise energy requirements and meet these entirely through renewable energy sources. Where permitted by fire safety regulations and building codes, renewable raw materials are used: Load-bearing partition walls are constructed using a stacked timber board method, and the ceilings in the functional areas are made of cross-laminated timber. A timber roof structure spans the halls and the foyer. Clay walls divide the backstage area, the administration level and the seminar area, whilst the walls in the public areas are finished with clay plaster. The durable ceramic slats on the façade can be reused or returned to the natural material cycle.
Basic heating and cooling are provided by geothermal energy. Supplemented by a variety of active and passive measures, energy consumption is reduced to a minimum and climate-neutral building operation is achieved.
Cross-section of the main hall and the roof structure
