Allowing history and the present to radiate confidently side by side – this is the guiding principle behind two design interventions conceived and realized by Cologne-based architecture and interior design firm Lepel & Lepel at the Historic Town Hall for the City of Cologne. Both projects—the Hansasaal and its preceding Piazzetta—share a common mission: they amplify both the functional and atmospheric qualities of the architecture, enriching vacant and activated spaces alike with new dimensions. Working closely with heritage preservation authorities, the firm has masterfully woven the old and new into a harmonious whole.

The Piazzetta, inaugurated in 1972 following designs by renowned post-war architect Karl Band, is honored through studied restraint and clarity of form. The central challenge lay in positioning a platform on this "open space"—as Band envisioned it—with such precision and distinctiveness that the original concept of a movable platform could be definitively set aside. The resulting polygonal platform emerges from the interplay of circulation paths and sightlines. Its connection to Hann Trier's ceiling sculpture "Baldachin" (1980)—known as "Wolke" (Cloud)—is both striking and deliberate. The troweled, unified concrete surface echoes the robust generosity of the Piazzetta's original materials, while carefully selected leather detailing elevates every point of contact with refined craftsmanship. The accessible platform operates as a true democratic gesture: its edge invites sitting, the bench accommodates presentations and gatherings, and subtly positioned rear lighting frames visitors for photography across multiple scenarios. The 30-meter Gothic Hansa Hall, dating to the early 14th century, stands as Cologne's most significant secular interior space, distinguished by its intricate tracery and sculptural ornamentation. Once altered across successive periods, it now commands renewed importance as a protected cultural landmark. The redesigned flooring and lighting thoughtfully reference both formal composition and art historical precedent: the parquet's honeycomb pattern draws from the cube motif of Italian Renaissance design, which has defined the Löwenhof, Senate Hall, and Renaissance loggia throughout the Historic Town Hall. By enlarge the scale of this pattern, the hall—marked by its wooden pointed-arch vault, painstakingly restored in 1972—gains striking spatial drama. The new chandeliers, with their honeycomb forms interpreting the historic windows' tracery, complete a harmonious compositional whole: a cohesive new spatial language.

www.lepel-lepel.de

Photography:

HG Esch
www.hgesch.de

(Featured in CUBE Cologne Bonn 03|24)