The search for 'Kulturpalast' in the historic core of Dresden, Germany

Abstract

The Kulturpalast is located in the middle of Dresden's historic core, the result of socialist expressions of monumentality and modernity. It has served as a major congress center in Dresden for more than thirty years. As Dresden's new congress center rises up on the bank of the Elbe between Marienbrucke bridge and the Saxon Parliament Buildings by the year 2000, Kulturpalast will be converted into a concert hall and house Dresden's Philharmonic Orchestra. This thesis focuses on the design of a new Kulturpalast as an activator of two public spaces of Dresden - Altmarkt and Neuemarkl. This is an inquiry into how this building should be shaped by its urban context, and how it should contribute to the urban character of these neighboring public spaces. Cultural activities should be brought towards the building's periphery to bring new meaning to these public spaces and to create an architectural coherence. The urban and architectural design of the concert hall complex is guided by three design principles. First, the complex attempts to construct a pedestrian transition between the neighboring Altmarkt and Neuemarkl. Secondly, the complex represents a hybrid as it meshes the object-like concert hall into a continuous urban fabric. And third, the complex aims to invent and frame new visual relationships of its urban surroundings.