Völklinger Hütte

A collaborative design team including David Kohn Architects alongside German architecture and construction management firm JOHNNY architecture and engineers WETZEL & von SEHT has been appointed to ensure the stabilisation and preservation of a key building within the Völkinger Hütte UNESCO World Heritage Site – a former steelworks in Saarland, Germany.

Völklinger Hütte is a rare surviving steelworks from the 19^th and 20^th centuries and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Standing testament to Europe’s rich industrial heritage, much of the vast 7.6-hectare former blast furnace site is now a museum as well as a location for festivals, performances, conferences, and other cultural events. World Heritage Site Völklinger Hütte European Centre for Art and Industrial Culture GmbH taskedthe design team to develop a comprehensive strategy to stabilise Kraftwerk 1 – a large 19^th century building within the complex that is currently derelict. The project will address the structural needs of the existing building, in order to secure its survival within a hugely characterful relic of Europe’s industrial heritage.