Location
Stuttgart, Germany
Typology
Mobility
Infrastructure
Hospitality
Commercial
Mixed-use
Office
Year
1997 - 2028
Status
in progress
Client
Deutsche Bahn AG | Lindner Hotels (Hyatt Group)
Size
44,000 m² GFA
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The future of our cities will be shaped as much by transforming existing buildings as by constructing new ones. The Bonatz Building demonstrates how heritage, sustainability and contemporary infrastructure can be brought together within a single architectural vision.
The Bonatz Building, completed in 1928 and designed by Paul Bonatz and Friedrich Eugen Scholer, is one of Germany's most significant railway buildings and a listed cultural monument. As the historic entrance to Stuttgart Central Station, it has shaped the city's identity for almost a century. Within the Stuttgart Main Station project, the building is not treated as a monument to be preserved in isolation, but as an active part of the station's future.
Location
Stuttgart, Germany
Typology
Mobility
Infrastructure
Hospitality
Commercial
Mixed-use
Office
Year
1997 - 2028
Status
in progress
Client
Deutsche Bahn AG | Lindner Hotels (Hyatt Group)
Size
44,000 m² GFA
Read more
Its transformation illustrates a fundamental principle of sustainable architecture: the most valuable building is often the one that already exists. Rather than replacing the historic structure, the project carefully adapts it to meet the demands of a twenty-first-century transport hub while preserving its architectural character and civic significance. The refurbishment presents exceptional technical and architectural challenges. Extensive structural interventions are required to integrate the historic building with the new underground station beneath it. Significant portions of the existing fabric must be selectively dismantled, reinforced or reconstructed to accommodate new circulation routes, building services and contemporary operational requirements. At every stage, these interventions are balanced against the responsibility to conserve the qualities that define the building's heritage value.
Its transformation illustrates a fundamental principle of sustainable architecture: the most valuable building is often the one that already exists. Rather than replacing the historic structure, the project carefully adapts it to meet the demands of a twenty-first-century transport hub while preserving its architectural character and civic significance. The refurbishment presents exceptional technical and architectural challenges. Extensive structural interventions are required to integrate the historic building with the new underground station beneath it. Significant portions of the existing fabric must be selectively dismantled, reinforced or reconstructed to accommodate new circulation routes, building services and contemporary operational requirements. At every stage, these interventions are balanced against the responsibility to conserve the qualities that define the building's heritage value.
The public spaces of the Bonatz Building remain at the heart of the project. The historic entrance hall, the Great Hall and the iconic station tower continue to define the station's identity, while being carefully restored and adapted for future generations. Rather than creating a contrast between old and new, the design establishes a continuous architectural narrative in which historical substance and contemporary intervention reinforce one another.
The public spaces of the Bonatz Building remain at the heart of the project. The historic entrance hall, the Great Hall and the iconic station tower continue to define the station's identity, while being carefully restored and adapted for future generations. Rather than creating a contrast between old and new, the design establishes a continuous architectural narrative in which historical substance and contemporary intervention reinforce one another.
The Bonatz Building is transformed from a historic railway station into a vibrant urban destination. While continuing to serve as the public gateway to Stuttgart's new central station, it integrates retail, restaurants, a boutique hotel, conference facilities and generous civic spaces within one of Germany's most significant listed buildings. For ingenhoven associates, the Bonatz Building represents far more than a refurbishment project. It demonstrates how heritage conservation, structural transformation and contemporary infrastructure can be developed as a single integrated design task. The project reflects our conviction that the future of architecture lies not only in creating new buildings, but increasingly in unlocking the potential of the existing built environment through thoughtful transformation.
The Bonatz Building is transformed from a historic railway station into a vibrant urban destination. While continuing to serve as the public gateway to Stuttgart's new central station, it integrates retail, restaurants, a boutique hotel, conference facilities and generous civic spaces within one of Germany's most significant listed buildings. For ingenhoven associates, the Bonatz Building represents far more than a refurbishment project. It demonstrates how heritage conservation, structural transformation and contemporary infrastructure can be developed as a single integrated design task. The project reflects our conviction that the future of architecture lies not only in creating new buildings, but increasingly in unlocking the potential of the existing built environment through thoughtful transformation.
