JUNG

Right in the heart of Furth im Wald the old district court can be found, a striking hipped roof structure from 1862/63, which after decades standing empty, has been turned into a lively centre for culture, tourism and education. Today, the listed building contains the city library, the tourist information office, the cultural office and the so-called Drachenstich office, the organisational headquarters of the traditional Furth festival. The elaborately restored building became a place in the centre of this small town with a strong identity.

The renovation by PH2 Architektur + Stadtplanung was based on the clear guiding idea of a careful renovation while retaining the largest amount possible of the historic structure. Doors, windows and stucco ceilings were restored, the masonry dried out and the roof and facade properly repaired. At the same time, the building was given modern, accessible access and contemporary technical equipment, from the lift and the elecrical installation to digital library technology.

The new colour concept stands at the centre of the design. The planners developed a finely matched world of colour based on the NCS (Natural Colour System) palette, which combines natural materials such as oak and plaster with accents in red, blue and green. The colours have historical references and translate them into a contemporary, clear colour language. The JUNG products complement the concept with the matching Les Couleurs® Le Corbusier® colours and continues it into the smallest details. Flat switches, sockets, USB sockets and wall boxes were used from the LS 990 range as well as F50 push-buttons. Among others the colours vert anglais clair (LC 32041) as a light, elegant, restrained green tone, vert anglais (LC 32040) as a natural green, céruléen vif (LC 32031) and céruléen moyen (LC 32032) as clear, lively blue tones, rouge vermillon 31 (LC 32090) as a strong, bright red tone, as well as l’ocre rouge moyen (LC 32111), a warm, earthy, ochre tone were used.

The finely graduated colour nuances of the walls and fixtures form a harmonous spectrum, which gives the rooms depth and life. They reflect the architectural variety of the historical structure and create a sensitive dialogue between old and new. The matt, coloured lacquer of the surfaces of the JUNG switches and push-buttons integrate naturally into the overall picture. Sometimes they melt into the wall colour, sometimes they provide conscious accents that give the space rhythm and structure. At the same time, the modern and smart electrical installation based on KNX technology provides convenience and efficiency. Lighting, shading and other functions can be controlled flexibly and adapted to the various uses of the building.

The reading steps, the bright book cafe and the open library rooms are examples of how carefully created colour and material worlds can create atmospheres. A joyful place emerges, which radiates peace and openness in equal measure. The JUNG components are not just technical equipment in this, but an integral part of the design. They make tangible how design and function form a unit here.

The strength of this colour collection is particularly evidenced in a historical building with heterogenous materiality: it creates connections where old and new meet, and supports the aspiration of a "third place", where people of different generations and interests meet. In this way, the old district court in Furth im Wald stands for a successful connection between the care of a listed building, contemporary design and functional precision, and shows how colour, material and technology can together form a new architectural identity.