Building Community Through Transforming 17th Century Barns in Kirchzarten, Germany

Abstract

The renovated barns of Talvogtei, a former moated castle, in Kirchzarten in south-western Germany constitute compelling examples of the value of transforming historic buildings no longer in use for their original purposes to new meaningful public use. In the view of both users and visitors, the tension generated between the modern and the historic structural elements creates a strong aesthetic impact. The chapter discusses the conversion of the one-time barns into the Mediathek/Multimedia Centre/Library in Kirchzarten as one way in which municipalities deal effectively with their architectural heritage. The concept brief developed for the Kirchzarten Mediathek/Multimedia Centre/Library describes it as a third place (Oldenburg and Brissett 1982) in a community of 10,000 inhabitants.