Congress Center in Constance by Dietrich | Untertrifaller

For over a hundred years, the issue of establishing a concert and congress hall in the German city of Konstanz has been contemplated (in various locations). On January 28, 2010, the local council presented a project for a congress center with a hotel and parking garage at a site known as "Little Venice." However, the final decision will rest with the citizens, who will vote in a referendum on March 21, 2010. The size of the project corresponds to the Festival House in nearby Bregenz, with both phases of construction.
The final decision by the city council of Konstanz was preceded by a three-phase competition involving five architectural teams. The winning bid was from the Dietrich | Untertrifaller office from Bregenz, which defeated Wilhelm Holzbauer from Vienna in the final round.
The winning project impressed the jury with its overall concept, clear urban design, compact building volume, energetically optimized construction, high-quality facilities, technical sophistication, and a concert hall with a large window overlooking the lake. The concert hall, with 1,200 fixed seats, can be transformed into a congress space within 1.5 hours. The hall's movable floor will allow for horizontal division of the space.
The hotel will be located in close proximity to the concert and congress building and will be financed by private investment. The parking garage will provide space for 450 cars. Between the concert and congress building (passive house) and the hotel (low-energy house), there will be a central facility managing energy consumption for heating and cooling.
Construction will begin in February 2011, with completion scheduled for May 2013. Of the total cost of 60 million Euros, 43 million Euros is allocated for the construction of the concert and congress center.