Awakening a sleeping beauty: The transformation of Mannheim’s Multihalle

The Multihalle is more than just a masterpiece of engineering and the most important modern listed building in the city of Mannheim. It is a symbol of an open society, …

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MULTIHALLE – DEMOCRATIC UMBRELLA

Concrete ideas for the future
of the Multihalle

Three prize winners and two honoraria for the international Ideas Competition MULTIHALLE – DEMOCRATIC UMBRELLA

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My Multihalle –
Lothar Quast & Prof. Dr. Georg Vrachliotis in conversation

The Multihalle has a special history. Possibly no-one has such profound knowledge of the subject as Prof. Dr. Georg Vrachliotis, architecture theorist from Karlsruhe. Professor Vrachliotis met up with Lothar Quast, Mannheim’s Mayor for Planning, at the Multihalle to talk about the history and the future of this unique Mannheim building.

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1975 NATIONAL GARDEN SHOW (BUGA)

Luisenpark, Herzogenriedpark, urban development in the Herzogenried district, places for community activities, and diverse cultural and garden-related events. The future looked bright at the 1975 National Garden Show, and today still, the BUGA 1975 evokes pleasant memories. …

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Ideas for the district and for the Multihalle

Outcomes from the Multihalle Citizens Days,
26 – 28 September 2018

Successful civic participation with ideas for the future of the Multihalle:Successful civic participation with ideas for the future of the Multihalle: first outcomes are presented after three days of constructive debate about the future of the Multihalle and the Herzogenried district. …

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Sleeping Beauty – Reinventing Frei Otto´s Multihalle

In Venice, the “Sleeping Beauty” Multihalle was awakened to new life. The exhibition “Sleeping Beauty – Reinventing Frei Otto’s Multihalle” at the 16th Biennale di Venezia (International Architecture Exhibition) in 2018 narrated the creation process of this architectural masterpiece and its rediscovery as a symbol of an urban vision of Mannheim’s future …

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My Multihalle –
in conversation with photographer Horst Hamann

SB       Mr Hamann, you were born and grew up here in Mannheim, spent many years in New York – and keep coming back to your hometown. In 1986 you published the book “Mannheim – Einblicke in eine Stadt” (Mannheim – Insights into a City) and in 2007, a second book on Mannheim. What changed for you in the time between those two books and since, and what has stayed the same? …

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Urban Thinkers Campus
2017

From 18 – 21 October 2017, students and professors from seven regional institutes met up with local protagonists at an ‘urban thinkers camp’, to discuss the development of the Multihalle as a ‘thinking space for future-oriented topics’ and neighbourhood hub. The camp was moderated by Sally Below, urbanist and strategic supporter of the Multihalle development project, and Wulf Kramer from Mannheim agency Yalla Yalla. …

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DAM Architectural Book Award 2017 –
Frei Otto. Thinking by Modeling

Publishing House: Spector Books, Leipzig

The year 2017 saw the ninth presentation of the International DAM Architectural Book Award, by the Frankfurt Book Fair and the German Museum of Architecture (Deutsches Architekturmuseum, DAM). This unique and highly respected prize honours the year’s best books on architecture. …

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Future prospects:
The utilisation workshop

In the spring of 2017, representatives from various sectors were invited to a two-day utilisation workshop, initiated by the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects and conducted in cooperation with the city of Mannheim, to work out ideas and solutions for possible future uses. …

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Frei Otto
Pritzker Prize Winner 2015

In 2015, Frei Otto was posthumously awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, which has been bestowed on outstanding architects since 1979. …

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The Architects:
Frei Otto and Carlfried Mutschler

The Multihalle is a joint project by Frei Otto and Carlfried Mutschler. Mutschler and his agency Carlfried Mutschler + Partner were commissioned with the overall design of the park for the Bundesgartenschau 1975 (German National Garden Show), together with landscape gardener Heinz H. Eckebrecht. …

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The significance for Mannheim

Besides its technical engineering and pioneering position in architectural history, the Multihalle also had major implications for Mannheim’s urban development. The focus of the Bundesgartenschau (German National Garden Show) of 1975 marked a characteristic point in Mannheim’s evolution…

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The maintenance challenge

An expert opinion conducted in 2015 revealed that around €11.5 million would be needed to maintain the Multihalle on a long-term basis. The entire roof construction needs to be renovated: …

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The ‘Wonder of Mannheim’?

The Multihalle consists of two shells that are connected via a canopied walkway. The entire structure measures 160 x 115 metres. The highest dome point is 20 m above the ground. Its widest span is 60 m, its longest is 85 m. …

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