Orangerie Hanover Mansions

Architects: Woelk I Wilkens Architekten, Hannover

Master of Works: state capital of Lower Saxony, Hanover, building management sector

Completion: February 2013

Photos: Thilo Müller, Jochen Stüber

At the end of the 17th Century the prince-electors Guelph built a summer residence outside the gates of the city of Hannover and the mansions became a European cultural attraction.  With its 50 hectares, the "Große Garten" (great garden) makes up the central historical element and is one of the most important Baroque gardens in Europe.  In the late 17th century, the the princess-elector Sophie especially appreciated it.

Around 1720, there were over 600 royal orange trees, and the gallery no longer had enough room to shelter them during the winter season. Therefore Johann Christian Boehme, the Court architect, designed the Orangerie, a building 78 metres long, 14 metres wide and 7 metres high. Its neoclassical façade with wooden frame construction on one level was created in 1819 by the Court architect, Ludwig Georg Friedrich Laves. Since 1969, the Orangerie has been used exclusively for cultural events. The Orangery can accommodate 150 to 1,500 people, depending on seating arrangements.

In 2012 €3 million was spent on renovating this listed building. The building, listed, has been repainted, given a new roof and equipped with a new smoke detectors and extra speakers. For the many cultural events held there; optimal acoustics and atmosphere are essential. It is necessary to reduce reverberation time to harmonise the requirements of the building, the historic monument and shows.

To achieve this interaction, MICROSORBER® is the ideal solution: the absorber sheet offers large acoustic efficiency and fits discreetly in the ceiling. To the delight of artists and spectators, 800m² of MICROSORBER translucent film was fixed in 9m double layer sections across the existing fixtures with luminous banks. This has significantly reduced reverberation time. Thanks to MICROSORBER®, artists and spectators can enjoy optimum acoustic conditions and can fully appreciate the most varied of events.