Reithalle St. Moritz
The historic horse riding and training hall “Reithalle” in St. Moritz, Switzerland will be renovated and extended. The timber main hall, built in 1910 by architect Nicolaus Hartman, will become a key venue in the region supporting both local groups and hosting international artists for musical, theatrical and dance performances, as well as for banquets, conferences and celebrations. The historic structure will be thermally and acoustically upgraded, while maintaining the exceptional, warm sound quality of the aged timber surfaces. The uses of the building will be expanded through the addition of a multi-purpose space called the “Werkraum”, along with a kitchen, foyers and back-of-house facilities.
Information Sheet
Renovation/Transformation Reithalle St. Moritz.
Location St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Project Cost 15.3 million CHF (approx. 15.3 million €).
Time Frame Competition: 2020. Design: 2021-2022. Construction: On hold.
Owner Community of St. Moritz.
Architect(s) Horisberger Wagen architekten GmbH, Zurich www.horisbergerwagen.ch • Stehrenberger Architektur GmbH, Zurich www.stehrenbergerarchitektur.ch
Theatre Planner(s) Theaterplanung GmbH, Switzerland theaterplanung.ch
Seat Count Main hall with flexible seating for up to 600 audience members (660 m² gross floor area). “Werkraum” multipurpose space in the extension (160 m² gross floor area). Total gross floor area: 1 562 m².
Uses Local, regional and international artists. Amplified and unamplified music events, dance, theatre performances along with banquets, conferences and celebrations.
Services Full acoustic consulting for all phases and including building acoustics and room acoustics. Measurement of the acoustic quality of the existing hall. Room acoustics design for the renovated hall, “Werkraum” and ancillary spaces. Noise control and sound isolation design.
Team Evan Green, Eckhard Kahle, Kahle Acoustics • Andres Bosshard, Zurich.
Rendering of the extended Reithalle. The extension includes the “Werkraum”, a multifunctional space that can be used as a foyer for the main hall, or as a separate venue for events and dining with a terrace on the lake front. Photo © Nightnurse Images
Rendering of the renovated Reithalle. The shape of the historic roof naturally enhances acoustic projection from the stage to the audience and provides excellent reflection coverage. The angled lower wall panels reflect sound upwards to create a strong, enveloping reverberation. Photo © Nightnurse Images
Musical listening tests in the existing building. The development of the desired “sound profile” for the space comes directly from the hall itself: the historic hall already has a strong acoustic personality. The existing sound quality is created by the unique wooden construction, the historic carpentry and the extraordinary range of wooden planks, beams and panelling. In order to preserve the sound quality, the existing building fabric must be seen as integral to this unique instrument. Photo © Kahle Acoustics