On Opladener Straße, one of Monheim’s main gateways and in the immediate vicinity of Monbagsee, stands the Mack Pyramid – an architecturally and culturally outstanding building by Zero artist Heinz Mack. Originally designed in 1987 as the headquarters of a pharmaceutical company and organized around a central square courtyard, the truncated pyramid is now being reimagined, upgraded, extended and converted into an arts and cultural center.
The new structure is supported by eight cruciform columns, while the cores along the building’s flanks provide both vertical circulation and horizontal load transfer. A bidirectional steel truss spans the existing pyramid and channels the loads into the vertical structural elements. With overall dimensions of approximately 53 x 53 meters, the new building occupies the entire footprint of the pyramid. The lower floor is planned as exhibition space, while the upper floor will be used as office space. The technical services area is located in the north-west corner of the site.
The design originates from Ruth Martin and Malte Grobenstieg, who won the student competition announced in 2022/2023 by the Kulturkreis der Deutschen Wirtschaft (German Business Culture Circle) in cooperation with the City of Monheim am Rhein. They subsequently developed their winning proposal further as part of the asp planning team.
