The New Gasteig
We want the Gasteig to continue to be an appealing, vibrant and inclusive place of arts, culture and education. The redevelopment of our building with its more than 90,000 m² aims to make the Gasteig fit for the future.
Europe’s largest arts centre is being redeveloped
The initial decision to redevelop the Gasteig was born out of technical necessity. After more than 35 years of operation, most of the 200-plus technical installations in the Gasteig have either reached or exceeded their average lifespan. The regular operation of the buildings with an average of 150,000 visitors per month can therefore no longer be continued. This increases the risk that vital technical systems (such as the sprinkler system) fail, and any such failure would mean a partial or full closure of the building. When we examined various renovation options, we found that the only sensible solution was to completely renew all building services while also modernising and upgrading the building itself. Against the backdrop of a constantly growing and evolving city, we saw this as an opportunity to equip the Gasteig for the challenges of the coming decades.
The future Gasteig
More light, more air, more open spaces
The Gasteig opens up! 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 establishments 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. With new public activity spaces, cultural education will play an even bigger role in Europe’s largest arts centre in future. The entire Gasteig will have disabled access and will be interconnected and transparent. Literally a high point of the remodelled Gasteig will be a new vantage point 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.
This is what the New Gasteig will look like
What what are the key features? The most significant details of the redevelopment plansVideo tour
Munich-based architecture office Henn has produced a video to demonstrate their vision of the future Gasteig. With its transparent, open architecture, the renovated and remodelled Gasteig aims to gain worldwide recognition as “Munich’s pulsating cultural heart”. This video tour is based on a 3D model of the New Gasteig. It was generated using the BIM (Building Information Modelling) method, which digitally records and models all relevant building data to help improve the planning process.
FAQs about the redevelopment
The Munich-based architectural firm Henn die Sanierung durch. was commissioned to carry out the renovation in June 2019. Preliminary planning has been completed. You can see some first impressions here.
Risk of closure: After more than 35 years of operation, most of the 200-plus technical installations in the Gasteig have either reached or exceeded their average lifespan. Some of these cannot be repaired as the needed spare parts are no longer available. This increases the risk that vital technical systems (such as the sprinkler system) fail, and any such failure would mean a partial or full closure of the building. A renovation of the technical building services is therefore necessary.
Getting it right from the start: Various renovation options were considered. Comparing these options, it soon became clear that the only sensible solution would be to completely renew all building services while also modernising and upgrading the building itself to equip the Gasteig for the challenges of the future.
The Gasteig – Munich’s powerhouse: Last but not least, Munich needs a futureproof Gasteig. By 2030, the city will be home to more than 1.7 million people, and this rapid expansion will add further to its demographic and cultural diversity. This development will make the Gasteig – Munich’s educational and cultural powerhouse – even more vital in years to come. Bringing the Gasteig up to date is an investment in Munich’s intellectual infrastructure that will pay off in the long run by allowing the Gasteig to grow with the city and its needs – in terms of both quantity and quality.
A total demolition and complete rebuild of the Gasteig would cost around 200 million euros more than its redevelopment and would not be very environment-friendly. Furthermore, the residents would have to put up with more construction work for a longer period. Last but not least, a radical reset would take a sledgehammer to the Gasteig’s nearly 40-year-long success story. Many visitors and friends of the Gasteig have emotional ties to the building and its history, and demolishing it would rob Munich of a familiar architectural site.
In December 2023, the City Council decided to pursue the general refurbishment of the Gasteig after a thorough examination of possible options. The costs are estimated at around 710 million euros.
Friends of the New Gasteig
Redevelopment milestones
In July 2015, the Munich City Council commissions Gasteig München GmbH to draw up a user requirements specification for the future Gasteig in cooperation with its users. At the same time, Munich’s building department is commissioned to examine the building stock.
In April 2017, the Munich City Council decides by a large majority to launch an architectural competition for the Gasteig’s redevelopment based of the user requirements specification. At the same time, the search for a possible interim venue for the duration of the redevelopment begins.
A total of 17 architectural firms from all over Europe take part in the international architectural competition for the Gasteig’s redevelopment. In May 2018, a top-class jury awards prizes to the designs of three offices: Auer Weber (Munich), Henn (Munich) and wulf architekten (Stuttgart). In October 2018, the Munich City Council chooses Munich-based Henn GmbH, together with landscape architects Rainer Schmidt Landschaftsarchitekten, to make the Gasteig fit for the future. The acoustics for the New Gasteig are to be designed by Yasuhisa Toyota and his company Nagata Acoustics International.
In July 2019, architect Gunter Henn and landscape architect Rainer Schmidt sign the contracts for planning the redevelopment together with former Gasteig Managing Director Max Wagner.
The plan for the redeveloped Gasteig is completed. On schedule in June 2020, the Henn architectural office presents the results of the preliminary planning, with the project remaining within the specified budget of 450 million euros. In December 2020, the Munich City Council opts for an investor model to finance the redevelopment of the Gasteig and commissions the city’s building department with the tendering process.
On 8 October 2021, after a mere 18 months of construction work, the interim premises Gasteig HP8 open in Sendling with a gala concert by the Munich Philharmonic in the new Isarphilharmonie.
In April 2022, the City of Munich invites tenders from investors for the refurbishment of the Gasteig building in Haidhausen. Due to fundamental changes in the economic situation in the course of 2022 and other factors, no suitable application was forthcoming by February 2023 and the contract award process was therefore cancelled. The Munich City Council instructs the administration to investigate possible options for further proceedings and to present these by autumn 2023.
Until the refurbishment work begins, the Gasteig building in Haidhausen is available for interim usage. To this end, a “main interim user” is selected, who has the task of subletting the premises to other users from the cultural and social sectors. In February 2023, Gasteig München GmbH concludes a contract on behalf of the City of Munich with the non-profit limited liability company Fat Cat, which expires at the end of 2024. The first tenants move into the Fat Cat in May 2023. Partnering Up for the Gasteig’s Renovation Following an assessment of the available options by Munich city council, it was decided in December by a large majority to go ahead with the refurbishment of the Gasteig. The costs are estimated at around 710 million euros. The city aims to set up a company to oversee the Gasteig project and press ahead with the renovation using a partnership model. An external partner to carry out the refurbishment work is to be commissioned by the end of 2026 at the latest. The planning and construction work is expected to take six years.
In March 2024, the City of Munich chose MRG Münchner Raumentwicklungsgesellschaft to oversee the Gasteig refurbishment project. Originally founded to realise the Messestadt Riem project, which is now wholly owned by the City of Munich, has already completed many construction and infrastructure projects. For the Gasteig project, MRG will partner up with a construction company from the private sector.
