They can be found in almost every muni­ci­pa­lity: town and commu­nity halls as a built promise of commu­nity. However, many of these buil­dings from the 1960s and 70s are now func­tion­ally obso­lete. The Kirch­heim am Neckar commu­nity hall shows how such a buil­ding can be turned into a contem­po­rary meeting place – without losing its history.

The hall is located on the edge of Kirch­heim am Neckar, nestled in a land­scape charac­te­rized by viney­ards. This envi­ron­ment is not just a back­drop, but part of the archi­tec­tural concept.

By opting for a Corten steel façade, the buil­ding reacts directly to its surroun­dings: the mate­rial changes its color and texture over time – just like the vines over the course of a year.

The design follows a clear stra­tegy: preserve where possible and rethink where neces­sary. The left-hand section of the buil­ding was reno­vated, while the right-hand section was demo­lished and reinter­preted as an exten­sion.

The connec­ting inter­me­diate buil­ding remains the central element. It acts as a spatial and func­tional joint and is also an atmo­spheric high­light. Lined with Corten steel and set off by skylights, it creates an inter­play of light and shadow that changes throug­hout the day.

The design was created by asp Archi­tekten.

The new Kirch­heim commu­nity hall is desi­gned as a “house for ever­yone” – and is orga­nized exactly as such. The center­piece is the commu­nity hall itself. With a large stage, space for up to 800 people and a full glass façade that provides a view of the fore­court, a contem­po­rary space has been created here for events and cele­bra­tions for the commu­nity and its clubs.

On week­days, the commu­nity hall is available to schools and clubs. At weekends, tour­na­ments, concerts and other events take place here.

The “Bädle” was reno­vated directly below: a teaching pool that is mainly used by school classes. In order to provide more space for sports clubs and school classes, a sports hall with chan­ging rooms was also inte­grated into the base­ment.

The sports hall was equipped with modern multi­func­tional clim­bing equip­ment and, in addi­tion to a new floor, also received a wooden ceiling, which gives the room a natu­rally warm atmo­sphere.

Atta­ched to the commu­nity hall is a mixed-age daycare center for 60 children from the age of two.

Diver­sity

The func­tional diver­sity is also reflected in the design. Diffe­rent façade openings indi­cate the uses behind them: small-scale for the daycare center, spacious for sports and events.

In order to clearly sepa­rate the diffe­rent func­tions and at the same time create a connec­tion, the cuba­ture and the inter­me­diate struc­ture that charac­te­rizes the buil­ding were retained – the main and side entrances were also accom­mo­dated here.

Since its reope­ning in September 2024, the hall has been used almost conti­nuously: in the morning by the nursery, during the day by schools and clubs, and in the evenings and at weekends for events, compe­ti­tions and concerts.

The trans­for­ma­tion of the Kirch­heim commu­nity hall has created a multi­func­tional ensemble that reor­ga­nizes the ever­yday life of the commu­nity and at the same time makes it archi­tec­tu­rally visible. Recently awarded the “Exem­plary Buil­ding” prize by the Baden-Würt­tem­berg Chamber of Archi­tects, the project is a prime example of the intel­li­gent use of exis­ting buil­dings – and of commu­nity.

asp Archi­tekten GmbH
Talstraße 41
D – 70188 Stutt­gart

City of Kirch­heim am Neckar

Opening

2024

Zooey Braun
Römer­strasse 51
D – 70180 Stutt­gart

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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