Diller Scofidio + Renfro has won an international competition to design the new Pina Bausch Zentrum in Wuppertal, Germany. Pina Bausch’s legacy as a dancer and choreographer will be celebrated in the design and revitalization of the Tanztheater Wuppertal, as well as in the creation of a new production center. The building will emerge out of the ethos of Pina Bausch, setting an example for a new generation of leadership in the world of choreography.
Apart from the production stage centers, the design includes an archive of Pina Bausch's enormous artistic legacy, comprising a library, study, and research areas, and a public platform to promote community involvement with many creative and academic disciplines. Various contrasting and flexible spaces that encourage and foster conversation across the project's numerous program components are found throughout the proposed design.
The Pina Bausch Center is located on the cultural island of the Wupper River, centered around specific design programs. First, the preservation and modernization of the dedicated performance venue for the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, a company founded by the iconic choreographer, now run by Boris Charmatz. Second, the new production center with flexible infrastructure that allows for creative freedom at a large scale, with multidisciplinary stage products. The design also includes the archive of Pina Baush’s extensive artistic heritage, which will be a hub for study, research, and programming. Finally, the Wupperbogen Forum is a public space centered around socializing and collaborating, bridging communities of all backgrounds in the cultural hub.
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Henning Larsen, Architectus, and Arup Selected to Transform the Canberra Theatre Centre in AustraliaBuilding on the concept of dichotomy, The Pina Bausch Center and its surroundings are made up of different spaces that can be programmatically understood based on their characteristics. These spaces can be indoors or outdoors, filled with plants or paved, controlled for the environment, or left in their natural state. The center showcases the creative activities happening inside it, such as rehearsals, performances, events, exhibitions, and food, making them visible and accessible from all directions.
Throughout the design, the public is invited to see behind-the-scenes activities such as installations, rehearsals, and performances from an elevated pathway, which can be reached from the courtyard and the surrounding landscape. A terrace above the archive zone creates an outdoor space next to the Ballet Hall, where dancers can warm up or continue their rehearsals outside. Furthermore, a continuous Riverwalk with terraced edges allows dancers and audiences to interact directly with the Wupper River's water while protecting the site from flooding. Along this walkway, three outdoor plazas expand the center's activities to the public.
The kitchen is designed as the social center of The Pina Bausch Center, where artists and audiences socialize day and night. Flexible seating arrangements, including unstructured lounge areas and communal dining areas, are centered on a central bar that blends the old and the contemporary. Finally, The Performance Courtyard is a multi-level performance venue, an outside extension of the kitchen, and a gathering place for group work and socializing. It has lighting functions set up for outdoor performances and is surrounded by catwalks. A retractable cloth canopy can be constructed seasonally for year-round use to warm and shade the area passively.
Diller Scofidio + Renfro has been focusing on cultural projects for quite a while, designing various arts and culture hubs. In 2021, the studio was selected to design Rice University’s New Arts Building named the Susan and Fayez Sarofim Hall. Additionally, the firm recently collaborated with the Dallas Theater Center, unveiling its design proposal for the Kalita Humphreys Theater master plan. Interestingly, the theater was originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Finally, the studio is well known for its project in London, “The Tide”, a 5-kilometer network of public spaces and gardens in the Greenwich peninsula.
