Page 117 - AIT0519_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Von M, Stuttgart
Bauherr • Client Ev. Kirchengemeinde, Kehl
Standort • Location Friedhofstraße 1, Kehl
Bruttogeschossfläche • Gross floor area 1.377 m 2
Fotos • Photos Zooey Braun (4), Von M (1)
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More infos on page 166

COMMUNITY HALL AND

CHURCH IN KEHL

The refurbishment of the Christuskirche in Kehl and
the new building of the adjacent community hall were
a huge success! The Stuttgart Von M architectural of-
fice met the numerous demands as to usage with a
strikingly clear and comprehensive design. The ensem-
ble not only convinces as to the urban development
and the function but also as to the design.

A s contradictory as it may seem at first glance, the current closing
of churches can in reality also benefit architects and interior de-
signers. This is because due to the merging of parishes an increased
space requirement results at the new central place of the combined
parishes which, as a rule, is not met by the existing buildings. An ad-
ditional factor is that the existing buildings are, in many cases, badly
in need of renovation or have to be adapted to the new demands.
Briefly outlined, these were also the circumstances which confronted
the Stuttgart Von M architectural office in the city of Kehl in Baden-
Württemberg. The combined parishes had decided to convert the cen-
trally located, classicist Christuskirche that had been designed by the
Weinbrenner student Hans Voss and built in 1822 into a new multi-
function community centre. The design which the architects proposed
and, in the end, were also commissioned to implement can be consi-
dered as a small masterpiece. First of all, they gave the church back
its original appearance inside as well as outside and it is really en-
chanting to see how well the strict, Southern German classicism from
the time around 1800 goes with contemporary, minimalist concepti-
ons of architecture. In the interior, however, the architects replaced
the fixed church pews with flexible seating. They also developed a
partition resting on rails and movable along the church’s axis which,
with large folding screens, allows subdividing the church into smaller
space units. The altar, the ambo and the baptismal font are thus de-
signed to be moved around if needed. All the furniture was made of
natural oak. The new community building, in turn, was constructed
adjacent to the original altar area of the church. As regards the urban
development, it occupies the property lines and, in the west, together
with the church and the historic parsonage produces a new square
which is enclosed on three sides. Inside, the community centre is de-
signed like a cloister with the community hall, illuminated by lateral
skylights, as the very centre and with the other functional rooms ar-
Grundriss • Floor plan ranged along the building’s periphery.

AIT 5.2019 • 117