Designed by Kühnlein Architektur, the Berching Culture Hall project uses locally sourced timber and includes a new riverside public space
In the Bavarian town of Berching in Germany, local practice Kühnlein Architektur has delivered a new culture hall to be used for a variety of public events.
Nestled in the heart of the historic old town, the culture hall is built on the site of a vacant hotel from the 1980s and overlooks the Sulz river. As part of the project, a new outdoor public space with seating was created outside the glazed building entrance. The riverside was also redesigned, with new illuminated walkways and a wavy crossing over the water.
With a steep gabled roof, the new building reinterprets the vernacular language of traditional barns for contemporary purposes. The timber used to construct the building came exclusively from the town’s own forest. Spruce was used as a structural material for the roof and gable surfaces, and a lattice of black pine was used for the facade cladding.
The interior was deliberately designed in a simple manner with inexpensive materials. The herringbone timber cladding in the main hall – painted white – serves the room acoustics and regulates reverberation time. This hall, including a stage, open space and backstage area, can accommodate various seating and event variants for the local community. Kühnlein also designed dimmable chandeliers with industrial fluorescent tubes specially for the project.
A single-storey side wing, housing ancillary rooms such as kitchen, bathroom and storage spaces, is constructed from concrete, with the exposed stone surfaces contrasting with the wooden materiality in the main space.
Photography courtesy of Kühnlein Architektur
