Zeche Zollverein near Essen is a redundant early-twentieth-century coal-mining complex designed on a colossal scale. Once the largest shaft system in the Ruhr area, it was decommissioned in 1986 when coal production became uneconomic. In an imaginative leap of faith it was decided to reuse the site as a cultural centre and to transform the old powerhouse - a masterpiece of industrial archaeology - into the home of a design centre for the promotion of contemporary design in Germany and abroad.
The powerhouse forms the centrepiece of an extraordinary group of buildings which share a vocabulary of brown and red-painted exposed-steel I-beams, with an infill of industrial glazing and red brick. These magnificent structures, with their towering chimneys and vast halls, are the cathedrals of the industrial age. The powerhouse has an inner hall of colossal proportions, as impressive as any Gothic edifice. The challenge was to adapt this heroic building without fundamentally altering its character.
The building's facade was restored and a number of later additions removed to reveal its original form. Inside, the heavy industrial feel of the building was conserved. Some of the large boilers were preserved intact as an example of 1930s technology. The remaining boilers were removed and replaced by independently supported galleries, articulated from the existing structure as 'boxes within a box', their lightness juxtaposed with the heaviness of the original fabric. A simple concrete cube contains further exhibition space as well as conference rooms with views of the surrounding complex and landscape, and the Centre also houses administrative offices. Visitors enter via the dramatic central hall where the rusty steel structure and exposed brick walls are still visible.
The Design Centre's temporary and permanent exhibitions - everything from cars to electrical appliances - are constantly updated, requiring highly flexible galleries. The different exhibition areas and the interaction of old and new architecture create a varied backdrop for the location of exhibits, while the changing nature of the exhibitions themselves adds a further dynamic element to this relationship.
Design Centre Website
Client:
Bauhutte Zeche Zollverein Schacht XII GmbH
Consultants:
Arup (new structure) Weber, Hamelmann, Surmann (old structure), Ingenieur Büro G. Hoffmann, Buro Boll, Steidich & Partner