Ian Shaw Architects Revitalizes Aging Arena into the Philipp Soldan Forum

Owned by the German town of Frankenberg, the L-shaped, monopitch-roofed brick building was showing its age, resulting in its revitalization under the direction of Ian Shaw Architects. The arena reopened in mid-2023 under a new name: Philipp Soldan Forum.

Before the initial design, a series of collaborative workshops were conducted with local authorities, theater groups, musicians, the staff who would operate the forum, and local menders in order to develop an initial program for the renovation, and to identify the main objectives of the new design. The desire to retain as much of the existing structure as possible and to reuse it, meant that the character of the building was retained.

The concept of the refurbishment was not to overload the existing structure with new surfaces, but to revitalize the existing volumes, a design in which something was both removed and added. In the spirit of sustainability and timelessness, few, high quality, natural materials, and a reduced color palette, were used.

The central foyer, from which the three halls are openly accessible, gives the impression of a large, sublime space. The floor plan has been retained: The main hall can be connected to the two side halls by acoustically-effective sliding walls, or used as three separate halls. In total, the 4,848-sqm hall has seating for 750 and standing room for 2,000.

Key measures included the removal of the gallery in the main hall, allowing the full height of ten meters to be used, and the integration of skylights to illuminate the interiors. An intricately crafted and acoustically effective wooden ceiling in the main hall, with recessed LED lighting and integrated ventilation, connects the halls in a seemingly floating manner. The joints in the ceiling are precisely designed to balance the lighting, acoustics, and air conditioning systems. The building has also been brought up to the latest energy standards, and it features new mineral wool insulation and district heating.


The interior is characterized by many bespoke and customised features such as the ceiling lighting, checkroom furniture, an acoustically effective table, a circular reception desk accessible from all sides. There is an induction loop in the floor for the hearing impaired.

Attention was paid to circular construction; the oak floorboards held by a clips system can be either fully removed or sanded down, lamps can be easily demounted, and the wooden ceilings can be completely disassembled.

High-quality materials and finely coordinated colors create a discreet and elegant atmosphere. The frames of the new floor-to-ceiling oak windows have been pigmented to match the new oak floor with underfloor heating. Externally, the window frames are bronze anodized to blend with the brick façade.

Photo credit: Moritz Bernoully
Source: V2com