It was a real challenge to come to terms with the detailed, compartimentalised design of the building... [Jo. Franzke]
Renovation
The architectural bureau Jo. Franzke took on the constructional supervision for the renovation of the Cowherds' Tower in 2010.
Jo. Franzke on the overall concept of the interior construction:
«It was a real challenge to come to terms with the detailed, compartimentalised design of the building. One shouldn't notice it too much, and it should be realised in such a way that more than a small museum is created. The confinement required an response that was to be given not only in terms of architecture, but also to a large extent with a view towards colour choice and the type of installations ...
For this reason, we preferred a very reduced architectural language, keeping everything in white: walls, ceilings, floors and stairway. In consultation with the monument conservation office, it is an off-white, possibly relating to the original white from Hindemith's time. This was the essential thing for us, a constant factor for us up until the furnishing, which was to a large extent restricted to the provision of chairs in the chamber music room in the top floor, offering room for a maximum of two to three musicians and about 25 listeners.»
Hessian Monument Protection Prize in 2012
On 23 August 2012, the Cowherds' Tower was awarded the Hessian Monument Protection Prize, one of eight buildings. The Hessian Monument Protection Prize honours achievements of supra-regional significance in the areas of archaeological monument preservation, building and artistic monument preservation or landscaping cultivation. more›››
