Kraftwerk Mitte, Dresden (DE)

Situated on the edge of the historic old town, the new building of the Dresden State Operetta and the so-called Theater of the Young Generation asked for a thoughtful and competitive integration into the context. While the main volume is hidden behind the surrounding buildings in “second row”, the recessed superstructures seem to form a small city centre. The translucent façade of the stage towers can be used for various media presentations. The new tower corresponds to the towers of the old town. The main access to the cultural power station is established from Wettiner Platz. The backlit volume of the studio stage leads the visitor into the existing alley between transformer station and machine house.
The visitor center in the powerhouse is open towards the alley. The puppet stage and an optional indoor playground are planned in the transformer station. Breakthroughs in the south wall of the nacelle lead to the first structural intervention, where the main halls of the venues are situated. The next intervention layer accommodates the platforms, followed by the assembly hall and storage area. The stage entrances, workshops and delivery are located at the end of Ehrlichstrasse. The rehearsal stages including the ballet hall are located on level four connected to the canteen one level above them. The basement hosts an underground garage next to technical and storage rooms. This is directly connected to the visitor center via the cloakroom area.