Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1977 - 15

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW
KARLSRUHE STATE THEATRE
KARLSRUHE
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE

HELMUT BATZNER, Dip!. Ing.
TRANSLATED BY MARION E. WILEY

This article appeared in BUhnentechnische Rundschau, Heft 3 (1976), pp. 8-13, and is reprinted here with their permission. The title of the original is "Neubau des Staatstheaters Karlsruhe." [Ed.}
After long and eventful planning the new Baden State
Theatre opened in time for the beginning of the 19751976 theatre season. The stages, which had been set up as
serviceably as possible after 1945 in the municipal concert
house and city hall, had proved to be inadequate in the
long-run for both the artists and the public.
The old structure, which had been designed by Heinrich H'ubsch and dedicated in 1863 at the Schlossplatz as
the Grand Ducal Baden Court Theatre, was destroyed in
1944 and never rebuilt. This site had also been considered
for the new theatre during the planning stages in the fifties, but it had to be relinquished in 1960 for the construction of the new federal court building. In 1963
the state and the city announced their bid for the new
site at the Ettlinger Tor, and in April of 1964 the task
of planning was commissioned. Extensive inquiries followed, and the construction began in 1970.
The architectural plan included two performance
locations for all types of productions: a large house
with 1,000 seats and a small house, accommodating
between 350 and 500 persons. Both areas were to be
joined by means of connecting foyers. There was also
provision for rehearsal stages and rooms, workshops and
warehouses, and staff and administrative facilities for
600 employees. The planning was based on the repertoire requirements of an ensemble theatre.
The facilities for personnel and management were
designed as optimally as possible, and special operational equipment was planned in accordance with the latest
tech nol ogy.
The numerous requirements placed on the various
groups of rooms were specifically realized; a "theatremood" was supposed to be captured in the very structure of the building.
The wealth of spatial forms makes many variations
available for very different types of performances. The
focal points are the two stages. Everything is brought into
relationship with them and organized around them.
The organizational unity is also expressed in the plastic
appearance of the total structure, which is a successful integration of twelve independently constructed parts.
From all angles the structure creates new relationships with the architecture of the city.
Two directions are particularly significant. The stage
axis of the large house points to the center of the city;
the axis of the small house is oriented toward the middle
axis of the municipal ground plan. The Ettlinger Tor
complex encompasses the area between these two lines.

USITT

The artistically proportionate outer form of the
theatre with its graduated levels is also reflected in the
interior design of the building. The groups of rooms
face inward and are joined by a roof structure which is
covered with natural-colored aluminum strips. The outward facing foyers, the performers' dressing rooms,
administrative facilities, and work areas have stripped
concrete walls as well as glass walls with anodized aluminum pilaster-strips. (see front cover).
The building's site actually seems to be an extension
of the colorful city garden area, which together with
the theatre, reaches to the center of the city. With this
fortuitous location the theatre is connected with both the
market place and the castle area. In this grandiose, openspaced setting the structure can advantageously reveal its
inner form. The neighboring buildings form a heterogeneous ensemble.
The theatre edifice fits as an independent entity into
the area lay-out. The stage tower serves as an orientation
point.
A dual-level underground garage with over 400 parking
places is located under the entrance area. The surface
above the garage has been made into an attractive area
and provided with seating arrangements, water fountains,
and various types of shrubbery. The entrance area can
serve as a meeting point for guests.
On the east side we find ground-level parking spaces,
which are conveniently close to the stage entrance. A
smaller parking area has also been added on the southeast
corner. The outside areas are connected by avenues of
trees, thus resulting in an inner-city recreation park.
The admittance of vehicles with right of way and with
parking and delivery facilities has been made faultlessly
possible by the insular location of the site - previously
the old train station stood here!
Pedestrians and streetcar passengers can reach the entrance without crossing intersections. All visitors enter the
building through the main entrance hall. There are three
separate walking areas in the labyrinth of this structure:
areas for the publ ie, for the performers, and for the technical personnel. The plan also provides for favorable connections of the sections and shortcuts to the stages.
The foyers were designed to provide a stimulating
atmosphere. They are used as a meeting place for guests;
exhibits, festivals, and musical events may also take place
in this area which is conveniently close to the terraces
and the unreserved seating section. The various areas and
the accommodations were designed in accordance with

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

FALL,1977

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