In the center of Wendlingen, the disused St. John’s Church from the 1960s has been replaced by an inclusive joint project developed by two clients: the new parish center for the Protestant Parish of Wendlingen and the Wendlingen Support Center, a residential project for people with disabilities including day-care services operated by the BruderhausDiakonie Reutlingen.
The two slightly offset building volumes frame a shared forecourt and define the entrance to the new neighborhood center. The different uses are clearly legible both externally and internally. The shared areas around the foyer reinforce the project’s inclusive concept. The two-story, multifunctional hall on the ground floor forms the heart of the new Johannesforum and enables a wide range of community activities. A generously framed “display window” creates a strong visual connection between interior and exterior spaces. By preserving the freestanding church tower, reusing stored natural stone, and reinstalling former church windows, the identity of the site has been maintained.
Turning Old into New
The approximately 60-year-old natural stone façade of the former church, made of Gönningen tuff limestone, was carefully dismantled, cleaned, stored, and tested for material quality. As a result, nearly 300 square meters of the original stone could be reused in the new façade of the Johannesforum. Combined with locally sourced Gauingen travertine, the original stones now form a natural part of the new parish center façade, creating a tangible link to the former church.
