The building combines a Bürgerhaus with a Mediathek, a multimedia library. It creates a new meeting place for the city’s residents, offering ample opportunity for social activity and learning. Spaces for public activity within the building have been placed along the façade facing a busy street corner to expose the public program and bustle inside. At nighttime, the upper part of the Mediathek becomes a beacon for the public library collections.
A new meeting point for the residents of Staufen
White’s proposal for a new Bürgerhaus – a civic hall focused on social activities for citizens – for the city of Staufen has been given an honourable mention in an architectural competition.
A new square, placed at the heart of the building, becomes a hub for social activity both in the daytime and in the evenings with planned concert programmes and festivals. In the summertime the square is home to a café. The square also physically connects the building’s vital parts. A clear spatial sequence connects the citizen’s hall connects to a front room, public courtyard and the Mediathek. Separate entrances to the Bürgerhaus and the Mediathek provide the opportunity to use the two functions separately or both together.
The focus has been to design on the human scale, which has resulted in a low volume that has minimal impact on its surroundings. It has also ensured that the good views from the surrounding residential buildings retain their good views. The ceramic façade is an homage to local craftmanship and a green roof adds a touch of nature, creating a home for important insects.
The proposal has been developed together with German collaboration partner Günther Hermann Architekten, with whom we are currently working on the Campus Feuerbach project in Stuttgart.