henning larsen will design parliament media center in stuttgart

henning larsen will design parliament media center in stuttgart
image © henning larsen

henning larsen architects have just won a competition to design the citizen and media center, slated to become an enriching new public space in stuttgart castle park. the sunken amphitheater will be situated into the greenery facing the modernist baden-württburg parliament building. the pilotis-raised, ribbon-glazed edifice was the first parliament building erected after world war II and remains an emblem of the democratic process. since the attractive inner park is a popular tourist destination and the building itself attacts over 65,000 visitors yearly, the below-grade center neccessarily allows the existing architecture to remain an unobstructed landmark. the gestalt of the architecture is a quietly bold gesture in form of a carved void, itself envisioned to behave like a small-scale agora and mirror the existing programming. cylindrical glazing additionally invites the landscape into the center, while the depression multitasks as a place for political meetings and public cultural events alike. a connected foyer, conference space and exhibition area can be closed off from the main parliament building for security purposes as well as to open the possibility of hosting late-night events.

the inner city park will be further enriched by the sunken interactive center
image © henning larsen

cylindrical glazing creates a daylight-filled interior
image © henning larsen

the media center will behave like a greened agora
image © henning larsen

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project info: 

client: land baden-württemberg, stuttgart
team: henning larsen architects, knippers helbig
gross floor area: 2,800 m2
type of assignment: 1st prize in interview competition
team at henning larsen architects: louis becker (partner), werner frosch (project director) daniel baumann, sonny holmberg, juliane demel, luísa paiva, eileen dorer.