TauberPhilharmonie

Weikersheim, Germany

Photo © HGEsch Photography

Drawing © HENN

Visualization © HENN

Picture © HENN

Architects: HENN

Location: August-Laukhuff-Straße 19, 97990 Weikersheim, Germany
Year: 2019
Client: Stadt Weikersheim
Team: Christian Bechtle, Peter Bäuml, Fredrik Werner, Katja Bader, Tanja Dietsch, Deborah Klajmic, Yvonne Koll, Alejandro Konrad, Andreas Lindig, Rainer Mohl, Armin Nemati, Gal.la Otero
Building physics: IB Hausladen
Structural engineering: Merz Kley Partner
Fire protection: Krebs+Kiefer
Façade: gbd Projects ZT
Kitchen planning: Geisel
Subsoil survey: GMP – Geotechnik
Electrical planning: Ingenieurbüro Rainer Metzger
Lighting design: LUMEN³
Open space planning: Prof. Schmid | Treiber | Partner
Local object supervision: Seyfried Psiuk Architekten

Located in the northeastern part of the State of Baden-Württemberg, the town of Weikersheim is known throughout Germany as a prime music venue and home to the world’s largest musical youth organization, Jeunesses Musicales Germany, and the Weikersheim Castle Music Academy. Prior to the inauguration of the new building, only the old town hall had been available as a large concert venue. Surrounded by picturesque vineyards, the TauberPhilharmonie building sitting on the western bank of the Tauber River provides a new cultural center and event space. Overlooking the historic center of Weikersheim, it communicates with the magnificent renaissance castle and the church of St. George.

The single-story building with its slightly sloping roofs is composed of two volumes: The larger of them houses the grand concert hall whose trapezoidal stage, inclined wall panels and reflective ceiling elements provide excellent acoustics. Depending on the requirements, this hall can be used for multiple purposes thanks to its flexible seating, including concerts, film screenings, congresses, exhibitions, or school and club anniversaries. Its rear can be opened to the lobby so as to create a venue for large events. The lower part of the building accommodates the small concert hall, which can be divided into two even smaller units or also opened up to the lobby. In the southeast corner, a deep cut into the façade marks the main entrance. The lobby’s extensive glazed front opens up invitingly to the forecourt with a terrace in front.

Its sculptural shape and sharp edges make the new concert hall stand out from the surrounding hilly landscape. Like the wooden corpus of a musical instrument, the outer shell of the building is made of wood. In the lobby, the floor is covered with natural stone – a shell limestone sourced from regional quarries. Geothermal collectors have been installed near the banks of the adjacent Tauber River to extract heat or cold from the groundwater, depending on the season. This system supplies about two-thirds of the energy the building consumes.