Location
<p class="WW-Standard">Max-Jarecki-Straße, corner of Czernyring<br /><span lang="EN-US">69115 Heidelberg | Bahnstadt</span></p>
![]()
![]( "Undulating exterior facade")
The planning for the new conference centre in Bahnstadt district will be carried out by Basel-based DEGELO Architekten, who won the international architecture competition. The red hued, undulating facade suggests the image of a stage curtain with its shadow plays. Image: degelo
![]( "Large window fronts")
Two large window fronts in the entrance area provide a view into the building from the forecourt of Heidelberg main station. The main entrance leads into the brightly designed interior with the main foyer almost as high as the building itself - one of the centrepieces of the two-storey conference centre. Visitors enter the Great Hall via the foyer. Image: degelo
![]( "Event hall with 1800 seats")
The large hall has 1800 seats in rows. The first floor will accommodate a gallery, a side foyer, a small hall with 800 seats and ten further conference rooms. The conference centre - like all buildings in Bahnstadt - is to be built in passive house construction. Image: degelo
![]()
Architecture
DEGELO ARCHITEKTEN, Basel
Project Partner
<p class="WW-Standard1">Stadt Heidelberg via Heidelberger Kultur- und Kongressgesellschaft mbH</p>
Contact Person
Michael Braum
Share
The new Heidelberg Congress Center (HCC) places knowledge transfer and networking prominently in the urban space. At the same time, the clever urban positioning of the striking building creates a new spatial connection between Bahnstadt and the southern exit of Heidelberg’s main railway station.
Basel-based Degelo Architekten have masterminded the imposing architecture of the almost 14,000-square-meter new build – the architectural practice convinced the jury of the international realization competition back in 2017 chaired by Franz Pesch with their striking design. The competition, which was supported by IBA Heidelberg together with Heidelberg Marketing, was based on an intense process of civic participation regarding the location of the new building. In line with IBA’s focus, here globalized knowledge is brought to bear in spatial terms, enabling neighborhood encounters at the same time.
At the heart of the architecture are the differentiated and variously designed communication zones, as well as an architecturally noteworthy foyer. »The pandemic has changed the conference world forever: The focus now is primarily on encounters, exchange, and community-building – supplemented with virtual elements that link up intelligently and effectively both on and offline,« emphasizes Gerhard Reiter, Managing Director of Heidelberger Kultur- und Kongressgesellschaft. »That’s why the HCC, with its openness and flexibility, is a trailblazer for the industry.«
The open event spaces and foyer are supplemented by a large hall seating almost 1,800 and a smaller hall for approximately 800, as well as other flexible conference and meeting rooms. The new build has received the German Sustainable Building Council GSBC certification in Gold and is not only a successful bridge-building project in terms of urban space; the wave-like façade made of red sandstone is also a direct reference to the region’s primary building material, which also characterizes the city’s castle.