Kunstpalast Düsseldorf: sophisticated renovation on the banks of the Rhine

14th Rigips Trophy 24 | 25: Ruben Peter Ausbau GmbH wins the Golden Trophy in the "Culture Education Leisure" category

The extensive renovation of the Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, which was built in 1926 and subsequently redesigned several times, took three years. Now, the building, which is located on the banks of the Rhine and is listed as a historic monument, shines in new splendour and attracts art enthusiasts from near and far. The complete renovation was carried out by Ruben Peter Ausbau GmbH, based in Floh-Seligenthal in North Rhine-Westphalia. The drywall specialists faced several challenges, including constructing narrow curtain shells up to six metres high according to structural specifications, installing walls with very high load requirements, and cladding the existing shed roof interior. Impressed by the highly space- and design-defining implementation of the drywall work, the independent expert jury of the Rigips Trophy 2024/25 awarded the team led by managing director Ruben Peter first place in the "Culture, Education, Leisure" competition category. At the International Trophy 2025 award ceremony in Paris, the renovation professionals received another accolade — a remarkable second place in the "Culture, Education & Leisure" category, earning them the "Vice World Championship in Drywall Construction".

To ensure the exhibition and installation walls had the required load-bearing capacity, a specially tailored substructure was used in conjunction with the Rigips Habito drywall board. Photos: Sieber Architekten

The completely renovated Kunstpalast is a valuable addition to Düsseldorf's status as an art metropolis and is sure to attract visitors from far and wide. The palace is intended to be a welcoming space for visitors of all ages and levels of artistic knowledge. The three-winged building complex covers an area of around 10,000 m² and comprises a collection wing and an exhibition wing. During ongoing exhibition operations, the 5,000 m² collection tour was completely redesigned and reimagined conceptually. Of the Kunstpalast's approximately 130,000 works, around 800 spanning eleven centuries are now on display. The tour takes visitors through 49 rooms across two levels, connected by a sculptural spiral staircase. Thanks to the opening of numerous previously sealed windows, the exhibition spaces are now bathed in bright, welcoming light. Since the renovation, the Kunstpalast has also offered visitors an attractive dining area with seating for around 140 people indoors and outdoors.

Numerous structural calculations

The team at Ruben Peter Ausbau GmbH faced several challenges: they had to implement wall and ceiling claddings in many different designs, meeting the highest requirements for flatness and surface quality. The specialists were also responsible for producing, delivering, and installing high-quality oversized, overheight, and heavy interior doors, which were specially manufactured for the museum based on new concepts. "The complete renovation of the Kunstpalast required numerous individual solutions," explains managing director Ruben Peter. "This involved extensive workshop and assembly plans, as well as numerous structural calculations." A key reason for this was the complex interplay of interior doors, building elements, ceilings, and walls.

Since a visible ventilation system above the existing shed roof was not an option, the renovation professionals installed hidden ventilation systems behind the curtain shells. Ventilation and air conditioning of the rooms are achieved through numerous approximately 10 mm narrow shadow gaps between the wall and ceiling or wall and floor. Photos: Sieber Architekten

Complex interaction of doors and walls

The interaction between doors and walls in the exhibition areas presented a particular challenge. The large, heavy doors had to meet a variety of architectural design, safety, fire protection, soundproofing and burglary protection requirements, and be planned and executed in perfect harmony with the wall constructions. Conversely, the walls or curtain shells had to be precisely tailored to the doors. This brought together two trades, both of which we were responsible for. The result was seamless execution and flawless outcomes."

High curtain shells with Rigips Habito

One of the greatest challenges was constructing numerous exhibition walls with narrow, load-bearing curtain shells up to six metres high according to structural specifications. Additionally, installation walls with particularly high load requirements were erected. These walls were later intended to accommodate built-in components such as fire extinguishers and pictograms, and in some areas they were designed to be walkable.

For the exhibition rooms, the client wanted the artworks to be completely independent of their weight and able to be mounted on any wall. Due to the changing exhibitions and exhibits, each wall had to be able to withstand various loads, so a load-bearing capacity of 1 kN/m was required."

The artworks were to be mounted on any wall in the Kunstpalast, regardless of their weight. Due to the changing exhibitions and exhibits, it was necessary to ensure that every wall could withstand various loads, with a minimum load-bearing capacity of 1 kN/m required. Photos: SAINT-GOBAIN RIGIPS GmbH

Mounting heavy loads without dowels

To ensure the exhibition and installation walls had the required load-bearing capacity, the Rigips Habito drywall board was used alongside a custom-made substructure. Heavy loads can be securely attached to the robust boards using standard screws and a screwdriver, eliminating the need for dowels or a drill. Rigips Habito has a tensile strength of up to 30 kg with single-layer cladding and 60 kg with double-layer cladding per screw. At the Kunstpalast, we exceeded the load mounting requirements with double-layer cladding.'

Mechanically resistant and robust

Rigips Habito offers several advantages that are particularly valuable in public facilities such as museums, schools, nurseries and theatres. This award-winning drywall solution has an exceptionally high surface hardness of 38 N/mm² (Brinell hardness), making it highly resistant. Heavily used walls are reliably protected against scratches and other types of surface damage. Its excellent soundproofing properties are also advantageous. Rigips Habito provides significantly better soundproofing than standard constructions, even when walls are thinner.

Cladding the shed roof in combination with a glass granulate acoustic ceiling system was particularly challenging. Since the symmetry of the ceiling is strongly influenced by high-quality built-in components such as ventilation gaps, each ceiling board had to be crafted individually as a unique piece. Photo left: Sieber Architekten
Photo right: SAINT-GOBAIN RIGIPS GmbH

Hidden ventilation system

Craftsmanship was particularly challenging in the cladding of the heated shed roof in combination with the glass granulate acoustic ceiling system. As the symmetry of the ceiling is strongly influenced by high-quality built-in components such as ventilation gaps, each ceiling board had to be crafted individually as a unique piece. This extremely detailed work was very challenging and required a great deal of effort.

Perfect surfaces for art

Great importance was also placed on the quality of the wall surfaces. "The artworks should be displayed against smooth, even walls to avoid distracting the viewer with irregularities in the background. Therefore, the execution had to meet the highest requirements for flatness and surface quality. We effortlessly achieved quality level Q4 with the fine spray filler Rigips ProMix Airless." To process the large wall surfaces as efficiently as possible and achieve optimal surface quality, the renovation specialists used machines to apply the ready-to-use spray filler, which has a particularly high degree of whiteness.

One of the special challenges was constructing installation walls with very high load requirements. Photos: Sieber Architekten

Powerful fire protection

To ensure optimal fire protection for steel structures, ventilation ducts and electrical conduits in historic buildings, Rigips Glasroc F (Ridurit), a powerful fire protection board, was used. This fleece-reinforced gypsum board remains stable and crack-free even after prolonged exposure to fire, providing a solid basis for highly effective fire protection constructions.

"We were involved in the renovation work for about two years in total," recalls Ruben Peter. "Throughout the construction period, we experienced excellent and close collaboration with the Rigips technicians and consultants. We developed numerous special solutions step by step in partnership."

Twice awarded

In recognition of their exceptional performance, the renovation professionals led by Ruben Peter were honoured with two awards: first place in the German Rigips Trophy 2024 | 2025 in the "Culture, Education, Leisure" category, and an impressive second place at the 14th Saint-Gobain Gypsum International Trophy 2025 in the same category with the Kunstpalast Düsseldorf.

The completely renovated Kunstpalast is a valuable addition to Düsseldorf's status as an art metropolis, and is sure to attract visitors from far and wide. The palace is intended to be a welcoming space for visitors of all ages and levels of artistic knowledge. The three-winged building complex covers an area of around 10,000 m² and comprises a collection wing and an exhibition wing. During ongoing exhibition operations, the 5,000 m² collection tour was completely redesigned and reimagined conceptually. Photos: SAINT-GOBAIN RIGIPS GmbH

Construction details:

Client: Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast Düsseldorf
Architects: Sieber Architekten, Düsseldorf
Construction Management: wp2architekten Weber + Pett PartG mbB, Düsseldorf
Drywall Construction: Ruben Peter Ausbau GmbH, Floh-Seligenthal, (North Rhine-Westphalia branch)
Drywall System Consultants: Udo Struensee, Michael Witkowski, Saint-Gobain Rigips GmbH

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