Metamorphosis of a department store

• Main Authors: Ingenhoven, Robert (Author), Ingenhoven, Oliver (Author)
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Munchen Prestel 2002
• Subjects: Joint occupancy of buildings > Neuss > Germany; Department stores > Remodeling for other use > Germany > Neuss
• Online Access: Click Here to View Status and Holdings.
• Physical Description: 64 pages illustrations (color) 30 cm
• ISBN: 3791326538; 9783791326535

The "before and after" story at the centre of this book concerns a 1960s department store in the German town of Neuss. With its uniform facade of ceramic tiles, this building was the height of modernity when it was constructed. Three decades later, it was considered an eyesore - until the architectural firm Ingenhoven & Ingenhoven rescued its walls from demolition and turned it into a multi-use facility, with offices, a theatre, a cinema and retail space. The building's transformation is fully documented in this pictorial history of the project and the people behind it. Numerous photographs and plans illustrate the architect's many goals, not least of which was to breathe life into an old structure without compromising its history or its place in the neighbourhood. This book argues that the result is an airy, spacious building that is attractive, energy efficient and resourceful.