The design for the new south wing of Nuremberg’s Exhibition Center provides a generous, spatially lavish building accessible from all sides. In stark contrast to the small polygonal halls already in the complex, the aim here is to create a fluid space that forgoes virtually all interior partitions. The entire hall becomes a monospace, which visitors experience as an open, flexibly configurable marketplace. Exterior walls exist only as thermal, but not visual, barriers.

Visitors can access the building from all sides, yet the design establishes a clear hierarchy among the access points. After completion, the main entrance facing the extension of the main access road becomes obvious. The configuration is extremely flexible, with a wide variety of building layouts to choose from. Thanks to the emblematic arches in the façade, the building has achieved a unique, eye-catching identity right from the outset. The design underscores its open and inviting posture with the arcade on the south front, providing protection from the elements for visitors arriving at the adjacent parking lot. The translucent polycarbonate façade turns the entire building into an on/off switch, if you will, and reveals the pulsating life inside the exhibition hall. The set-up and break-down phases, the varying scale of the exhibitions and the different trade shows running simultaneously are evident from outside, or the interior can be hidden in a “black box” with floor-to-ceiling opaque curtains.