Conferences and creativity, business and encounters, innovation and inclusion – what would it look like if spaces for meetings, conventions, and the like were combined with venues for social events under one roof?
Back in 2010, Gerhard Hab, managing director of 4Wände GmbH, had a vision of a multifunctional, sustainable event center with a mix of commercial and social uses. Today, westhouse Augsburg, planned and realized by him and his team, offers 7,000 square meters of ideal space for meetings, conferences, co-working, corporate events, cultural events, and special celebrations in the lively district of Kriegshaber.
Vision + need = innovation
Many innovative projects arise when a vision meets a need, when synergies are unleashed, and when different professionals and perspectives come together. This was also the case with westhouse Augsburg. It all started with a vision from Gerhard Hab, managing director of 4Wände-GmbH, which he runs with his wife Susanne: Back in 2010, he had a vision of an innovative, sustainable community center in the west of Augsburg, a flagship project that would revitalize the Kriegshaber district. The most important question for Hab, which remained in focus in the years that followed, was: “How can the project benefit the city of Augsburg and its people?”
The aim was to create rooms that are multifunctional.
The project became more concrete in 2012 when the vision was matched by a need: the Free Evangelical Church of Kriegshaber was looking for a new community center with more than just standard facilities. “The aim was to create rooms that are multifunctional,” says Gerhard Hab. “They should enable creative work, celebrations, art, culture, music, games, and sports, and offer overnight accommodation.” In close cooperation with local stakeholders, representatives from politics, the church, and associations, Susanne and Gerhard Hab and the 4Wände team developed a utilization concept in 2014 that is tailored to the needs of the city of Augsburg as well as the Kriegshaber district. Architectural planning began in 2017.
Lots of new things in the west
The Kriegshaber district in the west of Augsburg is a diverse neighborhood that served as a central location for the US Army for over five decades. When the Americans left Augsburg at the end of the 1990s, families in particular moved into the newly developed residential areas on the former military grounds, making Kriegshaber, just a 15-minute drive from the main train station, the district with the lowest average age in Augsburg for many years. Today, more than 21,000 people live there, more than in any other district of the city. The University Hospital, one of the largest employers in the region with 7,000 employees, has its main location in Kriegshaber.
Wood instead of steel and concrete
In this lively, up-and-coming environment, in the immediate vicinity of the University Hospital, westhouse Augsburg opened in fall 2020: a sustainable wood hybrid building with an elegant silver-gray wood façade, where concrete and steel were avoided wherever possible. A modern building with plenty of light and air, energy-efficient building services – and excellent conditions for modern working: numerous rooms are available across 7,000 square meters, optimally equipped for events, conferences, meetings, and workshops.
An Augsburg success story
Despite the suboptimal timing of its opening in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, westhouse Augsburg has been an impressive success story. With its temporarily bookable offices and meeting rooms, the center has become an ideal working environment, especially for start-ups, freelancers, and companies.
Eight rooms on the upper floor, which can accommodate between 16 and 72 people, are available for modern working. They all have friendly names such as “Caspar,” “Alma,” and “Samuel” and are also very inviting, with plenty of natural light, an open and functional design, exposed wooden structures, and modern air conditioning/ventilation technology. Gerhard Hab, now also managing director of westhouse GmbH, which emerged from 4Wände GmbH, describes the general character of the interior design as “lofty and modern.”
Work with state-of-the-art technology, take a break in the green
Those who use a room at westhouse can also spend their creative break in the outdoor green area, while those who want to present lots of ideas are in good hands in the “Paul” creative room with its chic, continuous sauerkraut slab elements. All conference rooms are equipped with unlimited high-speed Wi-Fi and blackout facilities; additional services such as a video conferencing system with 360° camera, smartboard or whiteboard, and presentation case can be booked as extras.
Coworking and basketball under one roof
The Mietek foyer (up to 130 people) and three other rooms are available for larger events. After a marathon meeting or intensive workshop, you can play a few relaxing rounds of basketball or badminton in the multi-purpose hall. Freelancers who feel cooped up in their home office can book one of the workspaces in the stylishly designed coworking area.
Clear the stage for “Anna Maria”!
And then there is “Anna Maria,” the heart of the center, the 450-square-meter “Große Saal” (Great Hall) with comprehensive lighting, sound, and curtain technology, a large stage, and backstage areas. Here, warm wooden beams and slatted paneling meet a cool, loft-style concrete design, impressively demonstrating what makes the westhouse's special construction and its unique atmosphere so special. The hall can accommodate 500 people and has already hosted a wide variety of events: corporate events, conferences, benefit concerts, and much more.
Individual catering with regional dishes
It's not just the many natural wood surfaces and pleasant acoustics that create a feel-good atmosphere at the westhouse: the cozy bistro “Meikes Schmeckerei” offers a rich selection of dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with many seasonal products from the region. If you wish, Meike Weickel's team can put together a tailor-made, individual catering package for your meeting or incentive event.
Inclusion in practice at the “einsmehr” hotel
And for events lasting several days, westhouse also has an in-house partner who takes excellent care of visitors' well-being. From the company event or conference, it is only a few minutes' walk to one of the 73 rooms at the “einsmehr” hotel, which welcomes its guests with the westhouse-typical wood hybrid architecture, warm colors, accessibility, a special warmth – and an award-winning social project: Almost half of the employees are people with disabilities and contribute their individual strengths to the hotel business.
Looking forward to a bright future
“The westhouse is different from other event locations,” emphasized Augsburg's mayor Eva Weber at the celebration marking the event center's fifth anniversary: “It is a special place.” That same evening, Susanne and Gerhard Hab hosted an open house and get-together in the westhouse seminar area and the einsmehr hotel lobby, featuring an art exhibition and a benefit concert. Guests chatted, networked, and talked shop—just as Gerhard Hab had envisioned for this successful venue for professional and social exchange.
Further information on westhouse Augsburg can be found here.
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