The new venue for dance, theater and music “Schwere Reiter” has opened in Munich’s creative quarter. The building by Mahlknecht Herrle Architekten stands out with its striking façade made of sheet piling.
The Schwere Reiter by Mahlknecht Herrle stands out in the Kreativquartier in Munich with its facade made of sheet piling. Photo: Oliver Jaist
Convenient location in the creative quarter
Dance, theater and music – three Munich institutions were to share a new, temporary venue. That was the task for the architects Mahlknecht Herrle from Munich. The previous venue, the old “Schwere Reiter” hall on Dachauer Strasse, had not been up to date for some time, particularly in terms of fire protection. It will therefore be renovated from November.
Until then, the three Munich institutions will be sharing the old and new rooms. These are “Tanztendenz München e.V.”, “Pathos München” and “Scope”, a space for contemporary music. In recent years, they have established themselves well as an independent Munich scene and are supported by the City of Munich’s Department of Culture. They have also benefited from their location in the “Kreativquartier”.
Munich City Council is proud to have designated an area for “interdisciplinary creative spaces” despite high real estate prices in the city. A lively scene has emerged on the site of the former Luitpold barracks between Neuhausen, Schwabing and the city center in existing, now graffiti-covered commercial buildings and a kind of container city. Artists run studios and workshops here, there are studios and improvised stages, regular performances, exhibitions, workshops and concerts.
The new building between the existing buildings and the container city, photo: Franz Kimmel
Heavy riders in rusty armor
The temporary building for the artists’ cooperative has now been completed directly opposite the old hall. The architects Mahlknecht Herrle have succeeded in developing an original temporary solution for the site in the shortest possible construction time. They chose a simple construction method with a clear structural system and materials that can largely be recycled after dismantling.
They designed an eye-catching housing clad with sheet piling. These are actually mainly used in port construction and to secure excavation pits. Here, however, they not only form the foundation, but also the façade. “The rapid driving of the sheet piles up to 3.5 meters into the ground saved a considerable amount of time compared to conventional construction methods,” as the architects report. What’s more, they can be reused in the event of dismantling. This is possible “by simply pulling out the sheet piles”. And the architects assume that “even without a special coating, the service life is at least 100 years”.
A "local alien" at the door to the new Schwere Reiter Hall, photo: Franz Kimmel
Striking entrances
From a distance, the rusty, free-standing structure is reminiscent of a shipping container. It fits perfectly between the weathered existing buildings, the colorful graffiti and the sprawling greenery on the site. The steel with its rough, undulating profile corresponds to the improvised, inspiring character of this experimental area.
In contrast to a closed container, however, the entrances can be seen from afar. Some of the steel profiles are pulled upwards from time to time, leaving larger and smaller openings for windows and doors. At these points, the corrugated profile becomes a gesture, a “curtain up!”. At the opening, the artists cleverly used all the entrances around the housing for performances of all kinds: for example, the Local Aliens performed, two dancers in golden space suits who seduced people to dance along to hard beats. The choreography was created by Micha Purucker.
In the large performance hall, photo: Oliver Jaist
The smaller rehearsal room, photo: Oliver Jaist
Inside
Inside the Schwere Reiter, the décor also remains simple. Concrete slabs are used in the foyer, as on the sidewalks outside, while a wooden floor has been laid in the large performance hall and the smaller rehearsal room. The walls are white, but the installed, open ceiling space is painted black.
It is to be hoped that this temporary solution will also prove to be a long-term solution. For the time being, don’t miss the program that the artists’ collective has developed uniquely for both venues, the old and the new hall. The opening weeks run from September 17 to October 31, 2021. And you can tell: Nothing has rusted in the pandemic; the esprit, the surprising performances, the memorable ideas continue to captivate visitors. The spark is quickly ignited.
Client: MGH Münchner Gewerbehöfe
Architects: Mahlknecht Herrle Architecture, Munich
Structural engineering: Eglinger und Clausnitzer Beratende Ingenieure
Opening weeks: September 17 to October 31, 2021
Location: Schwere Reiter, Dachauer Straße 114, Munich
www.schwerereiter.de
Another “creative quarter” in Munich is the Werksviertel. With their visionary approach in the east of the city, MVRDV together with N-V-O Nuyken von Oefele Architekten won the prestigious DAM Prize for Architecture 2021 for their WERK12. Read more about it.
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