KIT-Art in the Tunnel

Art in the Tunnel (KIT) is an underground gallery for contemporary art. It was created as an additional use of the remaining space between two road tunnels. As part of calming the traffic situation in the center of Düsseldorf and re-establishing the connection between the old town and the river, the Düsseldorf office Fritschi-Stahl-Baum Architekten developed a project for an underground tunnel in the early 1990s. Due to the narrow plot, the originally 4 traffic lanes were placed in pairs one above the other, leaving a space in between – the "Tunnelrestraum." This space was utilized in 2007, when the entrance pavilion was completed, and the gallery was opened underground.
The entrance pavilion with a café on the Rhine promenade is designed by the same office. An unobtrusive cuboidal building with a clear distinction of masses. It is separated from the city by solid walls of polished gray exposed concrete with narrow windows that extend the full height of the building, whereas it opens up towards the waterfront – the glass ground floor allows the café to be fully opened. The orientation towards the river is emphasized by the overhanging roof, which creates the impression of an arcade. The café's service area is a separate mass, distinguished by its materials – the façade is made of metal slats. Inside, there is a bar, seating areas, and vertical communication to the gallery - steep stairs along the eastern wall and an elevator. The pavilion's floor plan also projects into the underground, dividing the exhibition space into two areas and a service corridor. Overall, the space is 140 meters long with an area of nearly 900m². At the same time, with an elliptical narrowing from eight meters to just one meter in width, the floor rises and the ceiling sinks on the southern side of the gallery. The walls are made of exposed concrete, and the floor is screeded. A slightly disturbing element is the drywall ceiling with installations. The KIT gallery is part of Kunsthalle Düsseldorf.