Mediative in terms of Urban Plannin
Right at the heart of Waiblingen in Swabia, between the Weingärtner suburbs with its historical half-timbered houses and the shore of the Rems river, the two gently rounded buildings with their transparent industrial glass facades look somewhat exotic. However, they have pretty much settled in by now. Only separated by an alley, they establish a dialog between the flood plain and the town museum’s historical half-timbered building. And even create new reference lines and special edges. That’s how the idea of free building shapes with a uniform shell evolved, avoiding any kind of building backs and undefined remaining space. And still playing around with narrowness and vastness. Terraces stretch out towards the bank slope, a newly created square opens up towards the town.
Right at the heart of Waiblingen in Swabia, between the Weingärtner suburbs with its historical half-timbered houses and the shore of the Rems river, the two gently rounded buildings with their transparent industrial glass facades look somewhat exotic. However, they have pretty much settled in by now. Only separated by an alley, they establish a dialog between the flood plain and the town museum’s historical half-timbered building. And even create new reference lines and special edges. That’s how the idea of free building shapes with a uniform shell evolved, avoiding any kind of building backs and undefined remaining space. And still playing around with narrowness and vastness. Terraces stretch out towards the bank slope, a newly created square opens up towards the town.
The sculpture "Pavillon für Waiblingen" by Olafur Eliasson is now enriched by the force field for art since July 2009, responding in a sensitive manner to its architectural and natural surroundings.
Although the two buildings for gallery and art school look quite similar, their interior differs to quite a large degree due to their different functions. The architect Hartwig N. Schneider describes them as two solitaires speaking the same language.
The gallery’s forecourt merges seamlessly into the foyer. The large room without any supporting columns is impressive, its façade diffusely filters daylight coming in. Translucent façades allows for the integration of light coming in from the sides, which can also be cut off completely through curtains. Apart from that, skylight sheds oriented towards the North guarantee for an even illumination. The gallery’s shape stands for the introversion and calmness natural for a museum. Mobile wall elements structure the nearly 20 x 30 meters large area and allow for a versatile all around exhibition organization.
The art school, however, is separated into smaller units and open towards the outside and vivid. Here, nearly allworkshops and class rooms are at ground level and grouped around a tow-story opening and core zone. It’s the art school’s communication center and connects the foyer and exhibition area oriented towards the museum square with the roofed maintenance area. Partition walls of glass and room-high sliding walls allow for a variably connecting the rooms with each other.
The connecting part is the deliberately mediated workshop atmosphere through materials such as concrete for walls and ceilings along with the magnesite screed floor. Everything is supposed to look solid and simple.
Something Delicious after Art
In August 2009, the gallery café disegno (Ital.: drawing) was added, providing room for nearly 100 guests as well as an extra room, all inside a vertically slated new building which can be opened on the first floor. Actually the museum’s catering was supposed to take place inside the historical Häckermühle on the area. However, this turned out to be rotten and had to make way for the building also designed by Hartwig N. Schneider, erected upon the layout of the old mill. It’s shape establishes a reference between the knocked down old building and the historical old town.
Constructor: Town of Waiblingen, Germany
Architect: Hartwig N. Schneider Architekten, Stuttgart, Germany
Completion: May 2008
Size: Exhibition area: 500 m²
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