The repurposing of the Sebastian hospital in Nuremberg into a music school is a successful example of how a listed building can be converted with just a few yet fundamental tweaks, without forfeiting the architectural quality. The unique charm of the old hospital has remained intact.

The Sebastian hospital was built between 1910 and 1914 in the Renaissance Revival style, following the designs of Nuremberg master architect Heinrich Wallraff. With 420 beds, the largest care facility in the free imperial city was celebrated as the ultimate social achievement when it was opened. But the Zeitgeist brushed aside the “Wastl”, as Nurembergers affectionately call the building. By the 1960s, the rooms which contained rows of up to 20 beds were stripped back and parts of the building were used by the city administration; since 2008, it has been the temporary home of Germany’s newest music school, the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg. But only now, with the completed renovation, conversion and extension, is there an inspiring training facility for young musicians which also marks a new era for the building. The desire to give the building a new architectural appearance while also preserving the memory of its history was the design challenge faced by Munich architectural practice Robert Rechenauer. At the time, the hospital was built in the rural idyll of the Lake Wöhrder. Today it is part of the dense suburb of Wöhrd. Coming from the city, it looks like nothing has changed, as the old entrance on Veilhofstrasse remained virtually untouched. The once open meadow towards the Lake Wöhrder was transformed into a park in the 1960s. It therefore made sense to move the main entrance from the narrow Veilhofstrasse to the park, which is one storey lower. From the outside it is possible to see the transparent sequence of rooms, which draws the visitor into the heart of the music school, towards the large orchestra hall, which the architects placed in the internal courtyard.