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Architects: Christoph Hesse Architects
- Area: 40 m²
- Year: 2020
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Photographs:Laurian Ghinitoiu, Thomas Baron, Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk
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Lead Architects: Christoph Hesse
Text description provided by the architects. The Open Mind Place Heidentempel (pagan temple) is a place to rest and to get in contact with nature and people. It is located directly on the popular trail Heidenstrasse (pagan road), a medieval trade route between Cologne and Leipzig in Germany that dates back more than 1,000 years.
At the transition between the darkness of the forest and the light of the clearing, the wooden structure consists only of pillars holding a round recycled wooden roof. The incision offers a view into the treetops and the sky symbolizing the darkness of the forest and the light of the fields.
Originally, the roof served as a table for models at an exhibition called “Grounded” at Aedes Berlin in 2019. In order not to waste it, the table has been reused. It has been turned upside down, lifted up and thus started a second life as a covering shelter for people.