The proposed visitor and information center at the Weissenhofsiedlung receives a new name

A new reception building will be built at the Weissenhofsiedlung by 2027, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the Estate and the presentation year of IBA’27 (Internationale Bauausstellung StadtRegion Stuttgart). It will be the central starting point for all guests visiting the Weissenhofsiedlung in the future to learn more about the history of this international icon of modern architecture.

Now the building is getting a new name: The Visitor and Information Center (“BIZ”) will become the Weissenhof.Forum. The new name is a programmatic step towards the future: from 2027, the Weissenhof Forum will be a central location for mediation, events, exhibitions and exchange.

First Mayor Dr. Fabian Mayer:
“With the Weissenhof.Forum, an internationally important site of architectural modernism is not only getting a new appearance, but also a new voice. The name stands for openness, exchange and the future – and makes it clear that the Weissenhof Estate remains a lively place where history is conveyed and can be experienced.”

The name was developed in a participatory branding process together with the agency Jung:Kommunikation. It is the first visible component of a new brand structure at Weissenhof, which links the players and locations under the strong umbrella brand Weissenhof. With Weissenhof., a concept has been created that provides orientation and carries the uniqueness of this architectural heritage into the future. The next step is to develop a corporate design that gives the brand its visual identity.

Background

The Weissenhof.Forum is a central contribution by the city of Stuttgart to IBA’27 and is being built in a prominent location directly at the entrance to the Weissenhof Estate.

As a central contact point, the building will improve the existing infrastructure and release the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Le Corbusier duplex (Weissenhofmuseum) by taking over many of the functions that the original residential building cannot fulfill in the long term and with ever-increasing visitor numbers: Ticket sales, checkroom, café and bookshop.

The Weissenhof.Forum will also feature a temporary exhibition space, a workshop room and a new permanent exhibition that complements the exhibition in the original Le Corbusier House and the tour of the estate. Linked to the permanent exhibition, a multifunctional media room is being created, which will serve as an extension of the permanent exhibition and as an event space. The exhibition concept is being developed in close cooperation between the Stuttgart Cultural Office and the Friends of the Weissenhof Estate Association.

The award-winning design by Barkow Leibinger Architects in collaboration with Zech Hochbau AG envisages three two-storey, interconnected structures. Flowing transitions between interior and exterior spaces create an open spatial concept. Sustainability plays a central role: the building, which was awarded as IBA’27 project, is constructed using wood and clay and is complemented by a recycled concrete floor slab, a green roof and an innovative photovoltaic façade.

Joint information from the City of Stuttgart and the Friends of the Weissenhof Estate