Exhibition centre extension

The architects’ practice Mario Bellini won the 1997 competition to design the expansion of the exhibition space in Essen. The project was implemented by a joint venture between Bellini and HHS.

The new exhibition hall connects closely with the existing buildings to the west, keeping the impact on the adjacent park to a minimum. In order to improve the internal structure, a gallery reminiscent of a spine was incorporated into the existing building. This forms the connection between the old and new halls and its distinctive profile provides an additional orientation feature for visitors.

A 2-storey substructure of the new exhibition hall houses car parking spaces, HGV loading bays and the arcaded enclosure of Lührmannstrasse. Above this is the new exhibition hall with a new entrance foyer, restaurant and conference centre. The roof of the gallery is covered with over 700 roof-integrated photovoltaic modules, covering a gross area of 2,180 m² and providing an annual yield of 150,000 kilowatt hours.

The original competition-winning design by MBA also included a new reception zone to the east with a hotel, congress and welcome centre. This extension has not yet been built.

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Building Typology: Retail
Location: Essen
Country: Germany
Planning / Construction Period: 03/1999 - 10/2001
Order type: New Building
Client: Messe Essen GmbH, Essen
Project Participants: Joint Venture Messe Essen with Mario Bellini Associati, Mailand and Messe Essen GbR Structural engineer: Polonyi & Partner GmbH, Köln; Arup GmbH, Düsseldorf HVAC: Gertec GmbH Beratende Ingenieure, Essen Project management: Drees & Sommer, Köln Landscape architecture: LAND Srl, Andreas Kipar, Mailand / Duisburg
Scope of Services: Architecture
Gross Floor Area: 105000 m²

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