The atmosphere at the information event in the Ludwig Forum was already tidy after Dirk Lange from kadawittfeldarchitekten presented the spatial concept and design lines of the future Haus der Neugier.
Panel discussion at the Ludwigforum on the current status and planning of the Haus der Neugier
Around 350 interested people gathered in the Mulde on March 17 to listen not only to the architectural explanations but also to the contributions on the podium, where, together with Lord Mayor Dr. Michael Ziemons, retailers Yvonne Lauscher and Horst Recker from the Haus der Neugier environment, Annette Schmidt from Theater K and Björn Schötten as a representative of the aachenfenster association, the Aachen Forum for Architecture and Society, formulated their view of the Haus der Neugier.
Visitors were also able to make statements in response to the question about their expectations of the Haus der Neugier's services and made many contributions digitally. In addition to the content on offer at the Haus, key topics included the opening hours and the possibility of being able to use rooms in the future without bureaucratic effort when they are not needed for courses or workshops. A concept for this is currently being developed, emphasized Lord Mayor Dr. Michael Ziemons.
Some of the statements made by the VHS and the library in response to the audience's requests were quite astonishing. "The city library already works very intensively with schools, we work with daycare centers, we have workshops and we have lots of toddlers every day. There's a lot going on here," explained Doris Reinwald, Head of the City Library, when offers for families, children and young people in particular were requested. She pointed out the Youth Factory with its pool table, which was designed by young people themselves, and the fact that there are already "an incredible number of schoolchildren" in the library.
Beate Blüggel, head of the adult education center, gave examples of how initiatives are promoted and supported. She pointed out that the VHS stands for diversity: "People from all social backgrounds come to the VHS". You can learn 23 languages, attend cooking classes in Ukrainian and listen to all languages in the building. Anyone can come to the VHS and bring a topic that they would like to discuss with other people. There is no doubt that the number of around 1500 people who currently visit the library and VHS every day will quickly be significantly increased in the new building.
Overall, the evening was met with great enthusiasm for the project, which is due to be completed by 2029. Even the first offers of voluntary work were mentioned by the audience. Presenter Gisela Steinauer led the evening in an entertaining manner.
Suggestions and ideas are still welcome, even after the event. Anyone who would like to get involved can contact the Haus der Neugier team by email at info@hausderneugier.de. Further events are being planned.
