The present rehabilitation has transformed the Centenary Hall into an unconventional venue for the RuhrTriennial festival, which takes place from May to October. To preserve the character of these listed industrial buildings, alterations to the existing substance were avoided as far as possible. New functions are accommodated in auxiliary structures. In order to bear the additional loads imposed by the stage technology, the roof girders were trussed on the underside with slender cables, which are scarcely visible. At the same time, care had to be taken not to impede the movement of the cranes, which bear lighting and other equipment and allow a varied use of the halls. Mobile stages and seating, and a flexible curtain system that runs along the crane tracks facilitate many different forms of presentation and spatial arrangements.
To ensure agreeable conditions within the hall, the existing enclosure had to be made impermeable. Heating and cooling services were installed in the floors, which were also insulated, and a concept for natural ventilation was developed. Visitors are welcomed by a striking canopy structure to the southern extension.
In addition to its spatial function, the canopy serves to bear the extreme stresses resulting from the new tension cables in the hall.
Open staircases lead from the ground floor to a gallery level where catering is provided during the intervals. At the two ends, the closed volume of the hall dissolves into balconies and open staircases: the historical structure remains perceptible. At the northern end of the hall is a six-storey courtyard tract containing rehearsal spaces and artists’ dressing rooms. The large-mesh steel cladding lends this structure a calm, sober appearance and helps to integrate it harmoniously in the surrounding industrial landscape.
