‘Kultumeilen’ is not only known as the cultural centre of Stuttgart but also as home to the architectural heritage of the city. The numerous cultural buildings from different time periods document the change in architectural theory and the implementation of this – from classicism to postmodernism.
Besides appearing as a well-integrated part of the unique historical context, the ‘Cultural Spiral’ features two internal, spiral structures in the form of open functions (reading halls etc.) and more closed functions (closed book collections). The open, public spiral offers a number of interior terraces rising up through the building to end in a roof terrace with a fantastic view of the city. The closed spiral comprises the closed book collection supporting the continuous, numerical sorting of books.
The competition jury emphasised the spatial qualities of the project as constituting a highly worthy extension to this prominent location.