History

50 Years of Experience in Theatre Construction

The Planning company of Gerling + Arendt has emerged from the office for architecture and engineering Kurt Gerling and Werner Arendt. This office, formerly under the name of Rudolf Biste and Kurt Gerling, can look back on a long tradition of planning and construction of theatres and other venues.

After World War II, prof. Walter Unruh as Technical Director and planner at the same time played an essential role for the reconstruction of the technical equipment of the destroyed theatres after the war. On the architects’ side, Prof. Walter Graubner distinguished himself as specialist for functional theatre buildings. Architect Kurt Gerling worked for him as head of project.

Prof. Thomas Münter and Rudolf Biste took over the office from Prof. Unruh in 1959. The Opera in Sydney became famous in the world – the stage technology was planned in this office.

In 1971, Rudolf Biste and Kurt Gerling established a very successful partnership. More than 100 projects were planned and realised. The range of projects included the creation of new types of spaces as for the Schaubühne in Berlin, the technical equipment for conference centres such as the International Congress Centre in Berlin, the stage technology for the gigantic Opera Bastille in Paris and the Prince’s Theatre in Munich.
Kurt Gerling and Werner Arendt, senior engineer of the office, continued this way in their partnership after the death of Rudolf Biste in 1994.

In 2000, they handed over the responsibility to the long year collaborators Peter Eickholt, Norbert Babilon and Achim Sell. Theses founded the actual Gerling and Arendt Planning Ass.Kurt Gerling and Werner Arendt continue to support the company. This assures a transfer of the know how from the many years of experience to the next generation.