Landtag Dresden: Kulka expands again

The Saxon State Parliament in Dresden was the first new parliamentary building in the new federal states. However, the existing building is now too small and in need of renovation. The original architect Peter Kulka makes proposals for renovation and an extension.

The Saxon State Parliament is located in Dresden in the immediate vicinity of the Erlweinspeicher, Semperoper and Hofkirche. It occupies a prominent position and consists of a large old building that was erected in 1928-1931 as a tax office. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, two new wings were added which, together with the monument, form a transparent square and house the Saxon State Parliament. Garden courtyards with water features on various levels can be found inside the square. An axis leads from the Semper Opera House to the citizens’ portal with its cantilevered roof, followed by a slowly rising flight of steps inside, which leads up to the visitors’ gallery of the plenary chamber.

This cylindrical plenary hall has a square roof that rests on four cross-shaped steel supports and resembles a canopy. Glass walls provide a view of the work of parliament and the country for which decisions are made. The national colors white and green are reflected as the dominant colors in the hall.

However, the technology in the Saxon State Parliament is now outdated. And due to the greater diversity of parties than 30 years ago, the amount of space required has increased. The building therefore needs to be renovated and extended. Architect Peter Kulka has proposed a cube in the inner courtyard and an extension in front of the Erlweinspeicher to position the state parliament ensemble as a “city within the city”.

In 2019, the Free State of Saxony commissioned the well-known architect Peter Kulka to carefully expand the Dresden State Parliament. Kulka himself designed the existing building at the beginning of the 1990s. The now 86-year-old architect announced in an emotional speech to the Dresden Design Commission: “I am fighting for this building.” Originally, the Free State of Saxony planned a new building in the Packhof district near the Haus der Presse. According to Kulka, however, this location in the third row would have been dangerous, as it would have divided the state parliament and led to long distances.

Instead, he defended his plans to design a new, three-storey building on the Elbe. This approximately 70-metre-long new building for the Dresden state parliament is to be located on the meadow in front of the Maritim Hotel between the plenary chamber and the congress center. A cube is also planned in the inner courtyard of the existing state parliament. This will create around 2,000 square meters of additional office space for the state parliament. Both new buildings are to have green roofs.

Kulka attaches great importance to keeping Packhofstrasse and its view of the Dreikönigskirche open. The functional connection and routing between the extension in front of the Erlweinspeicher and the existing buildings will be underground. At the same time, Peter Kulka promises to treat the existing buildings with care and to renovate them carefully.

The design committee also criticized the extension on the Elbe. One councillor said that the new building resembled a GDR school. Peter Kulka argued against this. Rather, the extension buildings should create a connection to the adjacent buildings, as well as to the large open staircase at the congress center. “This is not brutal architecture, this is urban planning at its finest, which continues to provide a view of the Radebeul vineyards,” said Peter Kulka. The architecture should reflect the lives of the people who work in the buildings. It was also important to preserve the existing rows of lime trees to allow for different summer and winter views.

The finished plans for the new Dresden State Parliament building should be ready by mid-2024. The Saxon Real Estate and Construction Management, the construction company of the Free State, would like to see construction start quickly, but further coordination processes are still required. Meanwhile, Peter Kulka is continuing to work on the overall project and at least five façade variants for the extension. At a meeting of the design commission on September 8, 2023, his revised plans were met with approval – so the planning can continue.

It is not only the Dresden State Parliament that would add a new landmark to the city following its expansion. The Zwinger is also currently being extensively renovated and made accessible to visitors again. We have presented the building complex, which is over 300 years old.