Highly detailed plans after consolidation

Revised designs submitted by architects – General contractors review costs

Planning and preparations for the new Festspielhaus project have been ongoing since the final two designs were announced back in the summer of 2009. Deutsche Post DHL took the lead on issues concerning the architectural design and the construction of the new concert venue. Project head Heinrich Küpper and his team pored over the plans together with the site's potential users - the Beethoven Orchestra, the Beethovenfest and others - reviewing them in regard to the site's practical demands and requirements. From the conference room and the changing rooms to the small and large concert halls - no detail went overlooked.

Planning tasks were established based on both the results of this work and the remarks from the expert committees for architecture and acoustics and handed back to the architects for further refinement. The evaluation focused on five primary aspects: architectural design, acoustics, functionality, sustainability and cost. Zaha Hadid and François Valentiny began revising their plans accordingly in the fall of 2009 and submitted fully reworked and highly detailed designs by the end of the year. "Attention to detail from the very start is something that is extremely important to us," says Küpper. "We don't want any surprises later on." This goes for the financial aspects of the project as well.

In the effort to define the costs of the project as clearly as possible before any ground has been broken, the sponsors launched a selection process for general contractors in the fall of 2009. Two companies were chosen: Max Bögl Bauunternehmen and Züblin Development. It is now their job to conduct their own market-based cost estimates for each design using the consolidated plans and cost estimates submitted by the architects. The consulting firm Speer&Partner will also be submitting a cost estimate. Calculations should be complete and figures on the table by the end of March 2010.
In addition to all this, a citizens' poll is to be conducted regarding the construction of the new Festspielhaus and the Bonn's City Council is scheduled to make an official statement on the project. Assuming that the project progresses on schedule and pending a positive response from the City Council, it is still possible that construction can begin by the spring of 2012, with the new concert venue completed by mid-2014.