Festival Theater

The new Festspielhaus building at the old train station in Baden-Baden is one of the largest theaters in Europe. The approximately 1,200 square meter theater hall with its two tiers offers space for 2,500 spectators. The historic, listed railroad station serves as the entrance after renovation and also houses the administration of the Festspielhaus. In order to create the conditions for the excellent acoustics, the roof of the auditorium was vaulted in the shape of a barrel. From a structural point of view, the shape could be used to create a filigree roof structure spanning 40 m according to the principle of a fish belly girder. The two tiers protrude up to 8 m into the hall without supports and were prestressed to limit the deformations.

A suspended structure was developed for the 4-storey staircase in the foyer, which enables a column-free foyer area on the first floor. The loads from the façade and the reinforced concrete stairs with the adjoining ceiling surfaces were suspended with steel tubes in the garland-shaped chain girder on the 5th floor. The rear part of the stage house with backstage and rehearsal stages was located above an existing underground garage. As it was not possible to penetrate the underground garage, this part of the stage house had to project 9 m above the underground garage without support. These cantilevered parts of the building are supported by a slab structure. Like a seesaw, the 30 m high stage house tower forms the necessary counterweight.