Concrete restoration of the Düsseldorf playhouse

Concrete restoration of the entire interior including walls, columns and ceilings.

Renovation of the Schauspielhaus in Düsseldorf, also known as D'Haus, built at the end of the 1960s according to plans by architect Bernhard Pfau.

Location:

Düsseldorf

Object:

Schauspielhaus (Playhouse)

Architect:

Refurbishment unter der Leitung von ingenhoven architects

During the redesign of the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus, Strotmann § Partner was commissioned with the restoration of the concrete surfaces of the so-called large and small house, as well as those of the restaurant. As these were interior areas, there was less active damage here, but rather mechanically caused damage. The most extensive problem was a coating of an unsuitable material that completely covered and also sealed the original concrete surface.

After removing the old coating, a blotchy concrete surface reminiscent of nicotine was revealed, which justified the coating somewhat, at least visually. A light glaze was desired to match the "volcanoes" attached to the ceiling, which reflected the liveliness of the concrete.

The new glaze was adapted to the "volcanoes". Due to the slight transparency, the concrete retained its typical iridescent appearance. The mineral glaze, which is open to diffusion, does not influence the natural water balance of the concrete.

Under the old layer of paint that covered the plank formwork concrete, not only unsightly stains were revealed, but also old putties; as can be seen in the bottom right of the picture.

The light glaze makes the rooms appear larger and friendlier.

The light glaze makes the rooms look larger and friendlier. Although you can still see the substrate shimmering through slightly, the appearance is neater and has a calming effect.

The slot has already been filled with a concrete-like filler.

After completion of the concrete restoration, unforeseen interventions arose that made a new revision necessary. For cables that could not be laid in any other way, a slot had to be milled into the column. This picture shows the condition during the work: The slot has already been filled with a concrete-like filler.

After reprofiling the addition, it was partially retouched; a cable slot can now no longer even be guessed at.

Ein wichtiger Eingriff in das Gebäude war der Einbau von zwei Aufzügen. Zu diesem Zweck wurden Kernbohrungen in den Bodenplatten vorgenommen. Diese wurden von einer Betonbaufirma so gegossen, dass sie genau in das Aufzugsloch passten. Der neue Beton wurde wie die ursprüngliche Decke in eine Bretterschalung gegossen, doch der neue Beton ragte deutlich über das Niveau der eigentlichen Deckenfläche hinaus. Außerdem stimmten die Linien der Schalungsbretter des Originals und des Anbaus nicht überein.