WDR Filmhaus renovation: Completion delayed again by months!

WDR Filmhaus renovation: Completion delayed again by months!

Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is faced with considerable difficulties in renovating the film house on Tunisstrasse in Cologne. The schedule is anything but rosy: completion is delayed by several months, meaning operations cannot begin this year as hoped. Instead, the move into the new film house will not take place until the second half of 2026, as the Rundschau Online reports.

What are the reasons for this delay? First of all, there are significant problems with the smoke extraction system, which does not meet the required safety requirements. First test bottom line: improvements are urgently needed. Interestingly, those responsible are not only facing difficulties with this project; The opera renovation also had to experience similar challenges with smoke extraction systems.

Another problem is the numerous minor defects that occurred during the construction work. These deficiencies require time-consuming corrections, which further strain the timeline. The quality of the work carried out often leaves something to be desired, which causes additional delays. One might think that the construction industry has experienced a real price explosion in recent years - WDR has also felt this. Delivery bottlenecks and missed deadlines by contracted companies do the rest.

consequences for the environment

A particularly unpleasant result of these construction delays is that the sidewalk along the WDR building remains closed. Pedestrians will have to endure dangerous situations in the meantime, as the footpath is expected to remain inaccessible until the second half of 2026. This is causing a lot of discontent in the neighborhood and has many wondering how long these problems will last.

According to the press release from WDR itself, the renovation of the film house is seen as an economically sensible solution. Demolition and new construction are not only more expensive, but also less sustainable. This is particularly remarkable because over the years around 60 percent of the building's structure can be preserved for further use. WDR even decided to transfer responsibility for the technical building equipment to an internal team after previous planners were changed.

Bureaucratic hurdles and a look into the future

Processes in Germany are often characterized by bureaucratic hurdles - that's no secret. Experts like Pakleppa complain that current changes to laws or regulations often lead to planning stops and the ability to sue against construction projects at any time can significantly delay work. There is even a demand for a legal deadline regulation in order to avoid such problems in the future. In this context, the Danish model, in which all those involved come together at the start of the project and no further lawsuits are permitted afterwards, appears to be an interesting solution.

The construction delays are not just an internal matter for WDR, but rather reflect the generally challenging situation in the construction industry. Numerous construction projects are fighting against the windmills of bureaucracy and a lack of capacity. But despite these adversities, there remains hope that the new film house will enrich Cologne's culture and economy. Around 700 employees will produce WDR programs in the new film house, including well-known formats such as WDR 2 and the current hour.

Looking to the coming years, WDR could continue to be an important player in Cologne's media events and enable citizens to be more comprehensively informed.