Multi-Purpose Hall by Atelier Kaiser Shen

Florian Kaiser of Stuttgart-based Atelier Kaiser Shen has a family connection to his latest project. As a child, he took sports lessons in Ingerkingen's multi-purpose hall and later attended numerous events there. Now the municipality of Biberach an der Riß wanted to either replace or renovate the building, which was built in 1964. This was deliberately left open in the competition brief. Although the hall had already been rebuilt several times and had lost many of its original qualities, the architects decided to go ahead. Their guiding principle was that of a “Chinese porcelain bowl that has been repaired after being broken and thus has an unmistakable poetry”, they write.

The old and new sections of the hall are clearly visible, especially on the west elevation. © Brigida González

At first glance, not much of the original building fabric has survived, but this impression is deceptive: the main rebuild was of the gymnasium itself and its single-hip timber frame structure. Approximately 60 % of the building fabric – Including the foundations and floor slabs, walls and ceilings of the adjoining north wing and the street-side stage structure – was saved and integrated into the new building. The interplay between old and new is particularly evident at the front. Fortunately, the original length of the hall corresponded exactly to the dimensions of a standard single-span hall. As a result, only the glazed south facade had to be removed and moved outwards.

The new double-jointed glulam frames are erected exactly on the axis grid of the existing reinforced concrete columns. Approximately 60 % of the vertical and all horizontal loads are transferred to the new foundations on the south side of the hall, leaving only 40 % of the vertical loads to be carried by the adjacent north wing. As a result, this wing can continue to use its existing foundations. In front of the south facade, a large roof canopy with a weather-protected facade has been created, which can be connected directly to the hall in good weather. The striking timber structure dominates the interior of the hall.

The interior is spanned by large, single-hipped, double-jointed glulam frames. © Brigida González

The existing and new buildings can be distinguished by the different materials and finishes on the exterior. The solid existing building was insulated and plastered to match the original plaster. The new storey and extension, on the other hand, have a rear-ventilated timber facade with two opposing mono-pitched roofs at the end of the building. Windows, ventilation outlets and maintenance doors for the ventilation system are concealed behind the continuous facade battens. 

The new facades are clad with timber battens, which also cover the windows. © Brigida González

Inside, it takes a closer look to distinguish the old from the new: in the stage area, for example, the masonry, repairs and additions of vertically perforated brick and concrete from the original construction have been left unplastered and levelled with a lime slurry. In contrast, the extensions and additions can be recognised by the smooth plastered surfaces of the timber-framed walls. To save money, local clubs helped to gut the old hall. Much of the plumbing and kitchen equipment found new buyers in second-hand builders' merchants. The former wooden panelling of the hall was used to clad the facade of a nearby forest cabin.