A final echo of the 1965 Federal Horticultural Exhibition, the reading pavilion in southern Grugapark floats lightly above the ground, offering an unobstructed 360-degree panorama of the surrounding parkland. Designed in 1963 by Wolfgang Spree, an architect at Essen's municipal building office, this cubic glass structure extends outward through a protective canopy at its entrance. Spree drew clear inspiration from the American International Style exemplars of the era—particularly Mies van der Rohe's pavilion buildings for the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and his iconic Farnsworth House, whose architectural language is unmistakably reflected here. Steel tube columns arranged in a precise 3.70-meter grid support the approximately 15 x 20-meter roof plane, rising from a floor slab that appears to hover gracefully above the ground, elevated above its brick substructure.

The aging structure, which had undergone minimal changes over the decades, required both restoration and adaptation to meet contemporary programming needs. Turck Architects in Düsseldorf developed a renovation strategy that carefully preserves and enhances the pavilion's defining open, transparent character. The roof skin was renewed with thermal insulation while maintaining its visual delicacy. The façade refurbishment involved upgrading from single-pane to insulated glazing. Original radiators, which had been retrofitted to the exterior of the windows, were replaced with underfloor heating integrated seamlessly into the existing screed. The metal ceilings were restored to near-original condition and equipped with matching integrated linear lighting.

The service core, conceived as a freestanding volume, required only selective intervention: the restrooms were updated with contemporary fixtures and fresh finishes while preserving the original period tilework. The integrated storage area was reimagined as a cloakroom and compact storage zone. A striking finishing touch is the low-maintenance linoleum floor in warm terracotta, replacing the dated gray tile system—its rich color beautifully amplifies the visual dialogue with the surrounding landscape. Now, whether viewed from inside or out, the pavilion reads as a serene refuge suspended within the park.

www.turck-architekten.de

(Published in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 01|20)