Planning services for HVAC for the conversion of Weißhofer Galerie Bretten into a library and meeting place

Reason and objective of the procedure The city of Bretten intends to relocate the city library to the Weißhofer Galerie and develop it there into a modern library with an integrated meeting place. This step aims to create a central hub for education, culture, and exchange, which will sustainably enhance the attractiveness of the city center. Planning area and planning task The competition area includes the Weißhofer Galerie in the Bretten old town. The building was constructed between 1969 and 1975 as the Schneider department store and closed in 2009 after its insolvency. The municipal company Kommunalbau GmbH took over the building, adapted it structurally, and reopened it in 2015 as the Weißhofer Galerie. The architecture is characterized by an open split-level concept, which compensates for the height difference between Sporgasse and Weißhoferstraße via a central light zone. Currently, various retail stores and service providers are spread across approximately 3,300 m² of usable space. However, the usual change of tenants repeatedly leads to unused areas that suggest vacancy. To counteract this, the city library is to be established as a anchor use on the two upper floors. With its event spaces and a future-oriented concept, it is intended to ensure permanent revitalization of the building. The implementation will take place during ongoing operations, while individual floors will continue to be occupied by uses such as a dance school, textile or food retail, and medical practices. Urban context The city library is currently located on the outskirts of the old town in a building with limited development potential, especially with regard to modern requirements for a city library. The relocation to the city center is part of a comprehensive strategy for the revitalization of the inner city. The renovation and expansion of the municipal grammar school and the construction of a medical center on an inner-city brownfield site have already been implemented. The new library forms another important component of this urban development. Framework conditions and areas For the library, approximately 700 m² of gross floor area are available on each of the two upper floors of the Weißhofer Galerie. As former department store spaces, they are largely divisible and thus offer ideal conditions for a flexible and future-proof design.