Among Germany’s most ambitious privately funded cultural projects, the Bergson Kunstkraftwerk has opened its doors in a former thermal power plant in Munich. The venue fuses historic industrial architecture with state-of-the-art technology to offer immersive experiences in art, culture, gastronomy and other events.
Over the course of several years, the heritage-listed building has been transformed to make cultural experiences accessible to as many people as possible with top-tier sound and versatility with no compromises. After extensive testing and acoustic simulations, Alcons Audio systems have been installed throughout the facility. In addition to their audio performance, key factors included cross-room interoperability, intuitive operation, maintenance efficiency and long-term scalability.
Audio system design and installation were handled by Bärwinkel & Straßer, a system integration firm based in the Munich region, with close collaboration between investors, planners and technical team throughout the venture.
Attention was paid to consistency across all spaces, avoiding a patchwork of systems to ensure a sonic character, operational simplicity and reduce training overhead for staff. This streamlined approach not only improves operational efficiency and sustainability but also guarantees that every event delivers a coherent, high-quality audio experience.
Whether in the immersive Elektra Tonquartier concert hall, the dynamic open-plan Atrium or the high-energy Barbastelle live club, nearly every event space at the Bergson employs Alcons Audio systems. In the Elektra hall, these work in tandem with the Vivace electronic room acoustics system from Müller-BBM, which takes acoustic precision and flexibility to new heights and enhances the immersive impact of the loudspeakers.
‘Each space was carefully designed and acoustically optimized with tailored sound reinforcement solutions,’ says Bergson Kunstkraftwerk Technical Director, he coninues.
‘Alcons Audio has already proven itself in highly demanding spaces like the Gasteig Philharmonic and the techno club Harry Klein. What impressed us most was the precision of their dispersion patterns – especially the line-array systems – and the extraordinary fidelity of acoustic instruments at any volume. That reduces the need for correction and expands creative options for mixing engineers.’
The unified system architecture also minimises training time and reduces the likelihood of operational errors – a major benefit for the technical crew.
System integration, including networking, signal routing and custom mounting solutions, was carried out by Bergson’s in-house technical team. The process was supported by a strong partnership with Bärwinkel & Straßer and Alcons Audio. In particular, collaboration with Carsten Albrecht, Technical Sales Manager at Alcons, proved invaluable.
‘The technological edge of Alcons Audio is immediately audible – their systems stand out from the competition,’ says Sven Bärwinkel, co-founder of Bärwinkel & Straßer. ‘They’re easy to plan with and deliver exactly what the simulations and expectations promise. The close and reliable cooperation with Alcons Audio, and especially with Carsten, was a key factor in the project’s success.’
In less than 18 months, a new benchmark in multipurpose cultural venues has been created, driven by technological expertise, precise planning and a commitment to sonic excellence, delivering a cultural hub that reckons to set new standards in acoustics, architectural design, and functional versatility.
‘The vision of investors Michael and Christian Amberger is a rare and forward-thinking one – a glimpse through the telescope into the future of cultural development,’ Bärwinkel concludes.