Things are on the move at the Mathildenhöhe

The construction site sign is up, and the hoardings too – so it’s time to get cracking: in early June, Jochen Partsch – City Mayor and head of cultural affairs in the science city of Darmstadt – officially launched the start of the refurbishment work to the exhibition building at the Mathildenhöhe. The plan is to modernise the centrepiece of the Mathildenhöhe so that it conforms to current exhibition building standards. Work is starting straight away, tackling the structure, the internal spaces, adding a new render to the facade, a new intermediate building, a new café plus the renovation of the glass and shed roofs. schneider+schumacher are responsible for planning phases 1-8 and the work is due for completion in 2019.

This complex programme of work has been under discussion since 2012 in close consultation with both the heritage listing committee and the Advisory Board, which is currently advising the city on their application to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Jochen Partsch claims this has resulted in “a number of significant improvements in terms of both material and aesthetics.”

Photo (from left to right): Till Schneider, architect; Ludger Hünnekens, cultural officer; Jochen Partsch, Mayor; Philipp Gutbrod, director of the Mathildenhöhe Institute. © Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt/ Anja Mendel