Redevelopment PlansMore light, more air, more open spaces

Preliminary planning of the New Gasteig by Munich architectural firm HENN has been completed. So what are the key features of the future Gasteig? Here are the most significant changes that will be introduced with the renovation and redesign.

In the course of redevelopment, parts of the brick façade will be replaced with glass. Visible from afar, the “glazed bridge” will connect all of the existing parts of the building, bringing the various Gasteig institutes even closer together. It signals that the Gasteig is inclusive and accessible and, as a vibrant meeting place, it forms a bridge to the city. The entire arts centre will have disabled access and be interwoven and transparent. At a central, easily accessible information desk, staff will be at hand to answer visitors’ questions.

The Gasteig wants Munich’s citizens to make the arts centre their own. As a hub of culture and education, the New Gasteig wants to help people release their potential. There will be plenty of seating, inviting you to linger and make use of the free WiFi. Or you can show your stuff in one of the activity spaces. For those with something to say, there will also be a Speakers’ Corner on the corner of Rosenheimer Straße. A wide arena staircase invites visitors to sit down, take a break and listen.

Cultural education will play an even bigger role in Europe’s largest arts centre. To facilitate this goal, the redesigned building will house a 900 square metre space on street level with arenas, labs and adjacent childcare facilities. The new spaces will offer room for interdisciplinary cooperation and experimentation.

Childcare facilities will give parents peace of mind while they enjoy a concert or a performance, peruse the public library’s stock or study at the MVHS adult education centre, safe in the knowledge that their kids are being looked after by competent and loving carers and enjoying music, stories or making theatre themselves.

The classrooms of the University of Music and Performing Arts in the New Gasteig will be fit for the future, with a larger hall suitable for chamber music education and an orchestra rehearsal hall with plenty of space for large ensembles. The percussion rooms are clustered together to promote interaction between their users. To meet the increasing demand for audio and video recording facilities, there will be a new recording studio that is fully networked with adjacent rooms and features a separate recording room.

Munich is growing, and with it the need for adult education. The teaching spaces of the Münchner Volkshochschule adult education centre will be larger, more attractive and with direct daylight. Although information and registration are possible online, personal advice remains indispensable. That’s why the consulting spaces are being completely redesigned. The new forum on the first floor offers event space for up to 300 people. Visible from outside the building, this new Gasteig auditorium will provide a platform eminently suited for debate.

The Munich Public Library in the Gasteig will be an even more inviting place to meet. The public library of tomorrow is more than just a lending station; it is a place that entices to learn and work, to read, to discuss, to participate. Large windows create a friendly, open atmosphere while spacious staircases offer flexible lounging options. There will be areas where work can be done in peace and quiet and others that promote social contact. Thanks to the library’s modern Open Library technology, books and other library items can be borrowed around the clock. The plans also include a rooftop reading café with a magnificent view of the city.

The Philharmonic Hall will have impressive acoustics thanks to steeper tiers near the stage for an up-close concert experience, a large ceiling reflector and a clever arrangement of tiers. The acoustic concept was designed by Yasuhisa Toyota. Numerous LED arrays on the ceiling create a magical atmosphere, forming a cloud of light above the audience.

With its folding parquet floor, the Carl Orff Hall will be a multifunctional venue. Up to 800-strong audiences will experience top-class international contemporary performances, experimental musical theatre, films, choir concerts, pop, jazz and chamber music here. The room has excellent acoustics, which the Munich Chamber Orchestra will appreciate. The Carl Orff Hall will be the new home venue of the MKO, which will also have its rehearsal space and its administrative headquarters at the New Gasteig.

In April 2022, the Munich Chamber Orchestra visited the office of HENN architects and inspected the design for the New Gasteig. Four string players from the MKO perform Benjamin Britten’s “Burlesque”.

Literally a high point of the remodelled Gasteig will be a new viewpoint on the roof of the Philharmonic Hall. High above the Isar river, it will offer an impressive view of the city. Open to all visitors, it will also host a small rooftop restaurant.

The preliminary plans were completed on schedule at the end of June 2020 and remain within the budget of 450 million euros set by the Munich City Council. Following the green light from the City Council in autumn 2020, the project entered the design development stage.