"Brutalism" is not a dirty word, but an architectural style. And because the Gräfelfingen town hall embodies brutalism in its purest form, it is now a listed building. Not everyone in Graefelfing is happy about that.
Graefelfing - The Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historic Monuments has included the town hall of Graefelfingen in its list of individual monuments, vulgo: listed. The town hall is unmistakably a child of its time even for laypeople. Designed and built by the architects Werner Böninger and Peter Biedermann in 1966/67, the administration building went into operation with the inauguration in 1968. A consistent, transparent material and design language as well as a concept oriented towards functionality are typical. The exposed concrete in particular determines the external and internal appearance. Even design elements like the slats on the south side on the second floor are bare concrete.
The town hall of Gräfelfingen, which has served as an object for generations of architecture students, has been on the preservation list of conservationists for a long time. Mayor Uta Wüst, who is a member of the State Monument Council and an avowed fan of old buildings and their preservation, asserted on Monday at Merkur's request that she had "not actively pursued or applied for" in this matter. She also had no mandate from the municipal council. However, this would not be a prerequisite for the classification as a monument and a rejection would not be an obstacle.
Attention to buildings through 50-year celebration
According to Uta Wüst, the state office, which is completely free in its decision, probably became aware of the building and its value again through the 50th anniversary of the town hall in 2018. In autumn 2019, an inspection was carried out by conservationists, who were happy about the largely preserved interior and exterior. On this occasion, according to Uta Wüst, she had already pointed out that the municipality might want to expand the town hall. Orally, it was said that an extension, as planned in the architects' original plans for the western area (parking lot) and never implemented, would remain possible. However, no increase. In any case, she is pleased about the monument protection for the town hall, even if it becomes a "challenge", said the mayor.
City hall extension should be obsolete
Vice Mayor Peter Köstler (CSU) cannot share this joy. As luck would have it, a request from Köstler to the building committee is on the agenda on Thursday this week, which includes a timely review of "Variants of a spatial / structural expansion of the town hall" - a plan that should now largely be obsolete. Peter Köstler: “A purpose-built building of this type is a catastrophe. It is a deep cut that forever binds and limits us in our self-administration and freedom of action. We urgently need more space for modern administration. ”
