Shaping the Future, Rethinking Spaces
We, Ulrike Rose and Paula Oster, develop well-thought-out usage concepts for existing buildings and accompany their careful transformation with a keen sense of architectural heritage, economic viability, and societal change.
The Abbey of St. Hildegard. Preserving Architectural Heritage, Shaping the Future
The Benedictine Sisters of St. Hildegard Abbey in the Rheingau carry on the legacy of Saint Hildegard of Bingen. To ensure the long-term preservation of both the site and the work of the sisters, innovative and sustainable solutions are making the abbey future-proof.
Since spring 2023, we have been supporting the community on this journey. The first step involved developing the sisters' vision for the use of the site, followed by a round table with regional stakeholders.
Future Zinneberg Castle
Since 1927, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Germany have been the owners of the impressive Schloss Zinneberg in Markt Glonn, located in the Ebersberg district of Upper Bavaria. The congregation is working to develop a meaningful new use for the 18th-century castle and its surrounding parkland—one that particularly supports the neighboring youth welfare institution, respects the character and history of the building and its former residents, and is well integrated into the local community. kulturräume gestalten has been supporting the congregation on this journey since 2023.
Future of the Nymphenburg Convent House
The Congregatio Jesu (formerly the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is preparing to lead the listed buildings of the convent house into the future. The expansive ensemble was designed by architect Josef Wiedemann in the 1960s on behalf of the community. In close proximity to the Botanical Garden and Nymphenburg Palace, the Central European Province plans to establish its archive. Potential co-users for the remaining spaces have been identified and invited to select “round table” discussions, aiming to enrich the community’s initiative. These discussions are currently in the finalization phase. This project is also a pilot initiative of the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation and is professionally supervised by Dr. Judith Sandmeier. For the first time, this collaboration has enabled the integration of building research into a digital building model. Additionally, the spatial impact of the convent, its surroundings, and its church is being explored through the history of its users for a publicly accessible reader.
Foto: Herburg Weiland
Beyond Architectural Heritage: Communication and Contemporary Design
Alongside its architectural and cultural projects, the office places a strong emphasis on effective communication and contemporary design. In addition to numerous publications for StadtBauKultur NRW, including works on the repurposing of churches, recent years have seen the creation of KLOSTERFRAUEN FRAUENKLÖSTER, published by JOVIS Verlag in collaboration with artist Jutta Görlich and Munich-based photographers Ulrike Myrzik and Edward Beierle. Another notable project is the Reiselandbuch for the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Thuringia.
Foto: Herburg Weiland
Podcast
Since April 2024, the podcast series titled “Mit anderen Worten. Zwei Welten im Gespräch” has been available on all major platforms. It gives German-speaking Dominican sisters and their values a voice—through inspiring conversations with guests from philosophy, literature, cultural studies, social medicine, and journalism.
Zukunft Kulturraum Kloster e.V.
To draw attention to the disappearance of religious communities from the monasteries in Germany and to provide these communities and potential successors with as much information as possible for handling the significant architectural heritage, kulturräume gestalten founded a nonprofit association in 2020.
Future Kloster Oberzell
The Oberzell Franciscan Sisters reside and carry out their work, among other places, in a beautiful former Premonstratensian monastery situated by the Main River in Würzburg. Anticipating the future of their properties, lands, and facilities, the Franciscan Sisters commenced their deliberations in due time. Ulrike Rose led the Commission for Properties, Lands, and Facilities from 2020 to 2022, collaborating with the sisters and additional experts to devise proposals for future sustainable usage. She continued to contribute until 2024 as part of the Congregation's Transformation Council, actively participating in the realization of these initiatives.
Transformation of Schlehdorf Monastery
In 2018, the Munich-based housing cooperative Wogeno took over responsibility for the monastery of the Missionary Dominican Sisters at Lake Kochel, transforming it into a new space for living, vacationing, and working. Ulrike Rose developed the concept for Cohaus Kloster Schlehdorf and played a key role in the transformation of the 300-year-old monastery, originally built by the Augustinian Canons, during its first year.
Today, kulturräume gestalten has its office in the former provost’s house of this historic site. Personal experiences from living in this community housing project—which includes 80 residents, cluster apartments of various sizes, and extensive shared spaces and gardens—continue to shape our consulting work today.
Photo: © Ulrike Myrzik
Sommerfrische Schwarzatal
For many decades, summer guests flocked to the picturesque Schwarzatal in the Thuringian Forest for their summer retreats. However, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the valley fell into obscurity, and the charming summer retreat architecture with its towers, verandas, and balconies became deserted. As part of the International Building Exhibition IBA Thüringen, Ulrike Rose spearheaded a contemporary campaign to revitalize the architectural culture. With the opening of houses during the "Summer Retreat Day," the downward trend has since been reversed, fostering a renewed sense of optimism in the valley. In 2022, a fresh and innovative travel guidebook on the Schwarzatal was published under the editorial leadership of Paula Oster and Ulrike Rose.
Grafik: Gottweiss · Visuelle Kommunikation
Liebling Haus – The White City Center Tel Aviv
The Liebling Haus, located in the heart of Tel Aviv, is a German-Israeli project initiated by the City of Tel Aviv and the Federal Republic of Germany. Originally a residential building, it opened in 2019, the Bauhaus centenary year, as Israel’s first center for heritage, exhibitions, and architecture.
Ulrike Rose
Dipl.-Kff. | Cultural Manager
Chair of the Future Cultural Space Monastery Association
Dipl.-Kff. | Cultural Manager Chair of the Future Cultural Space Monastery Association
Ulrike Rose has been engaged in architectural culture since the early 2000s. As Managing Director of the Förderverein Deutsches Architektur Zentrums from 2001 to 2005, she coordinated the establishment of the Bundesstiftung Baukultur, followed by five years steering the Landesinitiative Landesinitiative StadtBauKultur NRW. From 2011 to 2013, she served as the artistic and managing director of the Stiftung Insel Hombroich, further developing the former rocket station into an architectural landmark and artist hub.
Photo: © Ulrike Myrzik
Paula Oster
B.A. (Cultural Management) | M.A. (Communication Sciences) | Mediator
Paula Oster is a junior partner at kulturräume gestalten and has been working on projects with Ulrike Rose again since 2021.
Paula Oster and Ulrike Rose first met in 2011 at the Museum Insel Hombroich and have since collaborated on various projects sporadically. Since 2021, Paula Oster has been working as a junior partner at the kulturräume gestalten office.
Photo: © Jakob Ebert
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