Kurmuschel (Sassnitz)

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Kurmuschel in Sassnitz (2018),
land side view with sea view

The music pavilion "Kurmuschel" is a building on the Kurplatz in Sassnitz . The design by civil engineer Ulrich Müther was completed in 1988. The building ensemble consists of the central pavilion that looks like a shell, two flanking backdrop buildings and adjoining pergolas . The building belongs to the concert shell type and is today an icon of Eastern Modernism . In 2014 the building ensemble was placed under monument protection. A comprehensive renovation was carried out by the Wüstenrot Foundation for eight months and completed in May 2018.

location

The building ensemble is located on the Kurplatz, at the eastern end of the Kurpromenade. The concert shell is about eight meters from the edge of the Baltic Sea . The Kurmuschel stage faces the land so that the audience has a sea view from the Kurplatz .

Behind the Kurmuschel runs a concrete path that borders the stone wall to the Baltic Sea. The pergolas run laterally behind the shell, flanking the promenade.

history

Sketch by Kuntzsch

Today's Kurplatz served as an event location decades before the shell was built. Before that, the wooden “music hall” stood here, which was demolished in 1983 due to its disrepair. The associated wooden pergola remained.

The planning phase for a new development began in 1985. Architect Dietmar Kuntzsch created a draft for the design from 1985 to 1986. The sculptural music pavilion was continued in 1987 as a project by architecture students from the Berlin-Weißensee School of Art , together with architect Kuntzsch and engineer Otto Patzelt. The companies VEB Fischfang Saßnitz and VEB Spezialbetonbau Rügen were also involved. The realization was carried out by Müther, with the participation of Patzelt as structural engineer . This project phase lasted from 1987 to 1989, of which the construction period extended from 1986 to 1988. The inauguration of the free-form Kurmuschel and the square Kurplatz took place in 1988. In 2014 the Kurmuschel was placed under monument protection.

Concerts and other events take place regularly in the Kurmuschel.

meaning

Today, Müther's buildings are considered icons of East Modernism , a great cultural legacy of GDR architecture . The style is described as an unobtrusively light and yet spectacular free form. The GDR architect who died in 2007 left behind several buildings on Rügen, including the Kurmuschel one of the most striking. With the renovation, the architectural legacy of Müthers should again move more into the public consciousness.

Object description

The ensemble consists of a central fan-shaped concrete sculpture and two symmetrically arranged, single-storey functional buildings. The group stands elevated on a three-tier stage made of exposed aggregate concrete . The largest dimension of the system is 20 × 10 m.

The Kurmuschel itself has a quarter circle as its geometric base. Its construction consists of seven concrete shells fanned out to form a roof. In contrast to the historical concert shells, the sound is not concave (curved inwards) and reflected, but is distributed convexly (curved outwards) towards the audience.

The building's futuristic look is reminiscent of a fish fin sticking out of the water or a diving whale fluke . With their rounded shape and round windows, the functional buildings look like ship superstructures.

Construction

Model photographed in front of the shell (1986)

The construction of the Kurmuschel is a Hyparschale . The thin concrete construction allows large spans . The shell thickness is 5-15 cm. The radius of the dome extends over 11 m and reaches a height of around 6.90 m. This construction was extremely labor-intensive, but also extremely material-saving. The shell structure consists of a curved shell structure with a horizontal cantilever structure made of reinforced concrete. A curved reinforcement steel grid was made for the shells . A wire mesh (the so-called “rabbit wire”) was mounted on top of which the shotcrete was applied in several layers without auxiliary formwork using the gate locking method.

The functional rooms arranged on the side were made of hollow cement blocks , a mixed masonry made of concrete shell stones and bricks. The surface was plastered and given a light paint like the shell structure.

Renovations

Condition before renovation (2015)

The material-saving construction method makes the building fabric particularly vulnerable, especially in the exposed Baltic Sea location. The building was renovated in 2006. In 2014 a renewed need for renovation was identified.

From 2014, the Wüstenrot Foundation was involved in restoring the architectural ensemble . Incidentally, another renovation project was the rescue station in Binz, which was also built by Müther . The aim of the redevelopment was a long-term use in accordance with the listed buildings and accessibility for the public. Heike Nessler was the supervising architect for the renovation measures of the building complex.

Construction began in autumn 2016, after the main summer season. At the time, all buildings were attacked and damaged. Salty air, wind, sand and large temperature differences had damaged the buildings over the decades. Despite their exposed location to the Baltic Sea, the buildings showed only superficial structural damage. A large number of cracks in the shell had to be repaired on the shell construction. The paint was peeling off. A thorough reconstruction was not necessary as the shell structure was generally in good condition. At no point in the shell was the reinforcement exposed. The good quality of the concrete showed only minor cracks and shrinkage cracks. The renovation of the concrete itself therefore only took up a small part of the work. The aim was therefore primarily to preserve the building fabric in the long term through a coordinated coating.

For the renovation work on the shell, the entire building was enclosed for two months and heated to the minimum temperature required for the material work. Concrete refurbishment was carried out on the entire outer and inner surface up to a height of 3.50 m , stress cracks were filled, leveled out and consolidated. The surface was to GDR times at a glass fiber reinforced been provided, rubbery top layer. This coating had to be removed by hand with a spatula for the renovation. There was no DIN- compliant solution for the special requirements of seawater on the coating of the concrete roof of the shell . The choice fell on a coating that would do justice to the horizontal concrete surface with its heavy moisture load. The coating with light grain and protective paint was applied on the entire sea side of the mussel.

On the stage side, seven layers of paint were first removed from the surface, then filled and painted. The final color work on the shell and the stage floor was carried out in spring 2018. The original color concept, which emerged from old sketches, was used to repaint the shell. Investigations showed that the color gradient did not run from top to bottom, as previously assumed, but rather from the center laterally outwards, light to dark.

The renovation work on the shell shape was completed first, the side buildings followed. The ramshackle plaster was removed from the side buildings and new ones were added. Around 8 m² had to be completely re-plastered. The "porthole" windows of the cloakroom extensions were worked on in the workshop. The buildings were renovated and freshly painted in accordance with all the requirements of the monument protection.

During storm tides , the curry mussel is regularly hit by waves and flotsam . However , it was not necessary to pull in a horizontal barrier against rising damp . Rather, watertight bulkheads that are not visible from the outside were installed on the doors in order to better protect the building against storm surges.

The renovation of the Kurmuschel cost around 300,000 euros. The costs were taken over by the Wüstenrot Foundation .

Kurplatz

Unrenovated Kurplatz in May 2018

The municipality financed the renovation of the pergolas and the Kurplatz. 300,000 euros were budgeted for the design of the square. Before redesigning the Kurplatz, the city had waited until the Wüstenrot Foundation had completed the renovation of the Kurmuschel. Concrete plans for the pergola and the Kurplatz were therefore paused for the time being. The architectural office of Ilona and Hartmut Pieper, who had worked with Müther and had been friends, was commissioned with the plans for the design of the outdoor facilities.

Most of the concrete paving slabs were dilapidated. There were cracks in them from which weeds sprouted. Parts had broken out of the pergolas.

The repair of the Kurplatz turned out to be complex. From 2015 it was planned not to renovate the Kurplatz true to the original, but to redesign it. It was planned to first give the square the shape of one or two ellipses , which would be paved in different stones. The smaller, second ellipse should lie deeper in the first. This redesign would create a paved area of ​​1,800 m². This proposal came from the 1980s, designed by the framework planner Erika Streubel. At that time it had been rejected, now the city had approved it in 2018. A controversy flared up in which monument conservationists emphasized that the current, angular square represents a counterpoint to the free form of the shell. A monument also includes the surroundings, which with the square and pergola result in a unique ensemble. On the other hand, it was said that the square had been curved earlier. The lower monument authority in the district, however, stated that it was only planned to be curved , but never built on in this way. Rather, the documents indicated that a rectangular shape for the forecourt had already been decided after construction. A modified design proposal was presented, according to which the Kurplatz should be rectangular again, which - it was believed in January 2018 - could also be positively received by the monument authority. The costs for the changed layout of the square had to be recalculated in order to apply for funding. The state office was supposed to settle the dispute and, according to reports in May 2018, approved the proposal with the ellipses subject to conditions.

In 2019 the decision of the city council for the elliptical shape of the square should be repealed. The estimated 300,000 euros would also not be enough; instead, 622,000 euros would be needed. The measures would not be done with a replacement of the paving slabs, but the floor underneath would also have to be replaced if the square was to be accessible. The general annual increase in construction costs would do the rest. If one opted for the angular design, one could perhaps count on a financial contribution from the Wüstenrot Foundation , one hoped. But later in the year it was decided to stick to the elliptical shape, with a space limited by a wide main path. The stone and wood pergola was initially to be replaced by a steel structure. The new curved shape should be planted with tendril plants. The construction of a new toilet was planned. But in 2019 the pergolas were completely deleted from the planning for cost reasons. Instead, a double row of trees should delimit the space towards the Baltic Sea.

At that time, the start of construction was announced in autumn 2019 or spring 2020.

gallery

literature

  • Rahel Lämmler, Michael Wagner: Ulrich Müther. Shell structures in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. 2nd edition, niggli Verlag, Sulgen (Switzerland) 2009, ISBN 978-3-7212-0662-3 .
  • Matthias Ludwig et al .: The music pavilion in Sassnitz on Rügen: Ulrich Müther's shell construction in collaboration with Dietmar Kuntzsch and Otto Patzelt . (= Publication series of the Müther archive , issue 2.) Müther archive at the University of Wismar (publisher). Verlag Hochschule Wismar University of Technology, Business and Design. Wismar 2016, ISBN 978-3-942100-42-7 .
  • Uwe Rähmer: Sassnitz music pavilion. Sculptural architecture by Dietmar Kuntzsch and Ulrich Müther. In: Ingrid Scheurmann , Olav Helbig (eds.): Denk_MALE des 20. Century: Buildings - Relics - Places of Remembrance: Challenges for the preservation of monuments . TUDpress Verlag der Wissenschaften, Dresden 2010, ISBN 978-3-941298-81-1 , pp. 89–92, table of contents.

Web links

Commons : Kurmuschel  - Collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. a b Press kit: Ulrich Müther's architectural icons on Rügen. In: Wüstenrot Foundation / Artifact Culture Concepts , April 25, 2018, (PDF; 727 kB).
  2. a b c Beatrice Härig: Hypar bowls . On the 10th anniversary of Ulrich Müther's death. In: Monuments - magazine for monument culture in Germany. Monumente Publications, August 2017, accessed April 25, 2020 .
  3. a b c d e Udo Burwitz: Wüstenrot Foundation renovates Kurmuschel. Construction on the Müther building in Sassnitz is scheduled to start after the season. In: Ostsee-Zeitung (OZ). Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG, January 12, 2016, accessed on April 25, 2020 .
  4. a b c d Martina Rathke: Music pavilion "Kurmuschel", Sassnitz, 1986–1988. In: muether-archiv.org. Müther Archive Association, accessed on April 7, 2020 .
  5. a b c d e f g h i Maik Trettin: Criticism of the redesign of the square in front of Müthers Kurmuschel. Oval instead of square? In: Ostsee-Zeitung (OZ). Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG, May 12, 2018, accessed on April 7, 2020 .
  6. a b c d e f g h i j Thomas Kinkeldey: The music pavilion in Sassnitz. (PDF; 1.31 MB) Monument of the month. In: lk-vr.de. District of Western Pomerania-Rügen , September 2014, accessed on April 29, 2020 . Quoted from: Uwe Rämer, Sculptural Architecture by Dietmar Kuntzsch and Ulrich Müther , in: I. Scheurmann, O. Helbig (ed.), DenkMale des 20. Jahrhundert. Buildings - Relics - Places of Remembrance , (Master's degree in Monument Preservation and Urban Development), TU Dresden 2010, pp. 89–92.
  7. a b c d e f g h i j k l Nina Greve: Renovation of Müthers Kurmuschel in Sassnitz. Construction site of the month. In: Building trade. Bauverlag BV GmbH, October 2018, accessed on April 29, 2020 .
  8. a b c d Maik Trettin: Kurplatz Sassnitz in future without pergola. The redesign of the future shell-shaped Sassnitz Kurplatz will be twice as expensive as initially assumed - although the planned new construction of a pergola was deleted from the plan. In: Ostsee-Zeitung (OZ). Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG, March 8, 2019, accessed on April 29, 2020 .
  9. a b Wilfried Dechau (Ed.): Kühne Solitäre . Ulrich Müther, shell builder of the GDR. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt DVA, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 978-3-421-03269-0 , p. 32, 33 . Quoted from the music pavilion (Kurmuschel Sassnitz). In: International Architecture Database. Sascha Hendel, January 10, 2020, accessed April 15, 2020 .
  10. a b c d e f g h i j Matthias Ludwig: Müthers Futurismus. (PDF; 4.33 MB) [leading article]. In: Modern Regional Online Magazine. ModerneREGIONAL gUG, July 29, 2016, pp. 10, 11 , accessed on May 9, 2020 .
  11. a b I say yes under a wafer-thin shell. Two buildings restored by Ulrich Müther on Rügen. In: BauNetz . Heinze GmbH, April 27, 2018, accessed on May 2, 2020 .
  12. ^ Ulrich Müther: UFO tower and Kurmuschel saved on Rügen. In: Nordkurier . Nordkurier Mediengruppe GmbH & Co. KG, April 25, 2018, accessed on May 2, 2020 .
  13. a b c Martina Rathke: “Cool GDR Architecture”. A shell-shaped music pavilion, a rescue tower in the UFO look: two structures by the shell concrete builder Ulrich Müther. In: Schweriner People's Newspaper . Zeitungsverlag Schwerin GmbH & Co. KG, April 26, 2018, accessed on April 7, 2020 .
  14. Brochure: Port of Sassnitz. Dreams of life with a sea view. (PDF; 5.06 MB) In: BIG-Städtebau GmbH / City of Sassnitz. April 6, 2016, p. 18 , accessed May 9, 2020 .
  15. a b Kurmuschel. In: Structurae . Nicolas Janberg, March 22, 2018, accessed April 7, 2020 .
  16. Udo Burwitz: Foundation wants to renovate Kurmuschel. The monument authority puts the ensemble of Ruegen's shell builder Ulrich Müther in Sassnitz under protection. In: Ostsee-Zeitung (OZ). Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG, April 14, 2015, accessed on April 25, 2020 .
  17. a b Shell buildings by Ulrich Müther on Rügen. In: wuestenrot-stiftung.de. Wüstenrot Foundation, accessed on May 2, 2020 .
  18. a b c d e Udo Burwitz: Sassnitz: Foundation takes over the renovation of the Kurmuschel. Contract with the city is to be concluded in the next few days / work on the listed Müther building is scheduled to begin after the season. In: Ostsee-Zeitung (OZ). Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG, January 12, 2016, accessed on April 25, 2020 .
  19. Ulrich Müthers Kurmuschel and rescue tower. Wüstenrot Foundation finances the renovation of two architectural icons on Rügen. In: DBZ - German construction magazine . Bauverlag BV GmbH, April 30, 2018, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  20. a b Maik Trettin: criticism of the redesign of the square in front of Müthers Kurmuschel. In: Ostsee-Zeitung (OZ). Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG, May 12, 2018, accessed on April 29, 2020 .
  21. a b c Maik Trettin: Sassnitzer Kurplatz: Authority says no to the oval. The area in front of the Kurmuschel in Sassnitz is to remain rectangular even after the renovation. In: Ostsee-Zeitung (OZ). Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG, January 3, 2018, accessed on April 28, 2020 .
  22. a b Alexander Loew, Maik Trettin: Fresh cell treatment for famous Müther buildings on Rügen. The master's rescue tower in Binz and the Sassnitzer Kurmuschel are being renovated with 510,000 euros from the Wüstenrot Foundation / planning is in place / municipalities do not pay a cent. In: Ostsee-Zeitung (OZ). Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG, March 31, 2016, accessed on April 28, 2020 .
  23. a b c d e Udo Burwitz: Kurplatz in Rügen's port city is to receive paved ellipses. Sassnitz city representatives approve the design for the redesign of the area. A promenade revue will be celebrated at the Kurmuschel on Saturday. In: Ostsee-Zeitung (OZ). Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG, August 5, 2016, accessed on April 25, 2020 .
  24. a b OZ: New design of the square: ellipses in front of the Kurmuschel? With the Kurmuschel, the Sassnitz Kurplatz is also to be redesigned. The planners suggest that in future the rectangular area should be divided into one or two elliptical ones. In: Ostsee-Zeitung (OZ). Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack GmbH & Co. KG, May 10, 2016, accessed on April 25, 2020 .

Coordinates: 54 ° 31 ′ 3.3 "  N , 13 ° 39 ′ 33.6"  E