FAZ FRANKENALLEE

New construction of two apartment blocks

In the heart of Frankfurt, just a two-minute walk from the Galluswarte station at Frankenallee 68 and 68a, two modern apartment buildings in solid timber construction were completed in spring 2024. The ensemble consists of a front and a rear building with a total of 43 apartments that enclose a green inner courtyard. With five full storeys and a staggered storey, the front building blends into the existing Frankenallee street. With three full storeys, the rear building matches the height of the courtyard building on Koblenzer Strasse and is directly adjacent to it.

Even though a wooden façade on a six-storey building is still very unusual at present and unique in residential construction in Frankfurt, the new building blends naturally into its surroundings. The construction is based on cross-laminated timber, which forms the load-bearing elements for the ceilings and walls. Only the parts of the basement in contact with the ground and the staircase of the front building are made of reinforced concrete. The walls of the front and rear buildings adjacent to the neighboring buildings were constructed as fire walls in sand-lime brick or aerated concrete block. The apartment partition walls and the partition walls are designed as load-bearing cross-laminated timber bulkheads on which the cross-laminated timber ceiling elements rest.

By applying for a project-related building permit (vBG), a residential building in building class 5 in timber construction, which was previously not possible in Hesse, was realized. The increased sound insulation requirements demanded in residential construction were met in the main areas, as were the extended fire protection requirements.

Despite extremely high external noise levels of 80dB caused by ICE and freight traffic at the nearby Galluswarte station, it was also possible to implement very good sound insulation requirements on the external façade in timber construction.

The façade is designed with vertical, rear-ventilated tongue-and-groove cladding. The local larch boards used vary in width and are repeated in an irregular rhythm. The pre-greying was created using a mineral/silicate-based glaze. Fire protection bars structure the façade and prevent the spread of flames on each storey.

The outdoor seating areas facing Frankenallee are designed as loggias. Due to the proximity to the tracks, the loggias can be closed with glass baffle plates for sound insulation. When open, the baffle plates are »parked« in a niche and can be easily extended from there using a sliding and rotating system.

The apartments are all pleasantly bright and have a distinctly homely character. This is enhanced by the material combination of oak mosaic parquet flooring, the wooden ceiling soffit of the load-bearing cross-laminated timber, the white walls and the reddish-brown solid wood windows. The large windows add to the sense of comfort.

The open space between the front and rear buildings serves as a green oasis. Here, residents can find a spot in the sun or shade, shielded from the hustle and bustle of the street and the nearby S-Bahn station, and wind down the day among shrubs, flowers and trees, celebrate a children’s birthday party or simply read a book.

In addition to the green inner courtyard design, the green facades on the stairwell, the front gardens and the green roofs (with rainwater retention) contribute to a more pleasant microclimate.

SCHÜLERWOHNHEIM DINGOLFING
New construction of a four-storey student residence with 85 rooms in modular timber construction

The district administration office of Dingolfing-Landau commissioned a student dormitory in modular timber construction for its vocational school in Dingolfing, accommodating approximately 85 students. The new building was built on the existing parking lot directly in front of the vocational school and was elevated in such a way that a large part of the parking spaces could be preserved.

The new structure consists of a four-story student dormitory with 58 residential units, providing living space for approximately 85 students, complemented by a cafeteria and various communal spaces on the third floor.

The ground floor was constructed in reinforced concrete and houses covered parking spaces, stairwells, technical rooms, and the main entrance area. The three upper floors were built using solid timber construction, with room modules prefabricated on-site in a field factory. A distinctive feature of the building is the spacious gallery within the four-story section, as well as the sculptural façade composed of glass fiber-reinforced concrete elements.

DAY CARE CENTRE ASCHAFFENBURG
New construction of a six-group, integrative day care centre on Anwandeweg in Aschaffenburg

A two-storey, L-shaped, compact building completes the development of the new district center. It sets a striking urban accent at the transition to the park. To the east, a large, sheltered outdoor area opens up on the site, to which all group rooms and the multi-purpose room are oriented.

The main entrance is centrally located on the planned neighborhood square, while the staff entrance is oriented towards the parking spaces. The kitchen has a separate entrance, which is also used for deliveries.

The foyer and waiting area forms the center of the new building. It receives light from two sides and connects the main entrance with the back yard. The nursery management with a consultation room for parent meetings and the baby carriage room as well as the dining and multi-purpose room are located here. The under 3y group rooms are also accessed from here. On the upper floor, you reach the rooms for groups of 3+y children, all group rooms have direct access to the outdoors. The family support point, which also has its own access to the outside, completes the family offer.

In bad weather, the play corridors in front of the group rooms can be used as additional exercise areas. In the crèche area, »slipper terraces« are located in front of the group rooms as an extension of the indoor space.

The two integrative group rooms and the therapy rooms are combined into one usage cluster. The cernterpiece is an elevator, which guarantees easy accessibility and short distances. The basic idea is inclusion in the sense of equal participation.

The multifunctional room, the dining room and the foyer can be directly connected to each other via sliding doors if required, e.g. for daycare celebrations. The adjoining terrace extends the room when the weather is nice. The gallery in the multi-purpose room also incorporates the upper floor.

The daycare centre is being built as a timber construction on a concrete floor slab. Cross-laminated timber will be used as the construction material for the ceilings and post and beam construction for the walls. The façade is a horizontal, rear-ventilated larch cladding. The windows are made of timber pro-files with triple glazing. Vertical awnings on the sides provide the necessary sun protection.

The interior walls are clad with plasterboard. They can be individually designed, covered with stickers or used as a pinboard. Facing panels are fitted where installations are located. Their surfaces are painted in warm colors according to the color concept. The ceilings are to remain white. They are suspended due to the installations and are acoustically effective. All floors will have underfloor heating and a linoleum covering, also according to the color concept.

The daycare center is designed as a passive house. The primary energy required is largely generated by photovoltaic elements on the roof. An electricity buffer storage system installed in the plant room ensures maximum utilization. The sustainability of the building is ensured by the renewable raw material wood. The high degree of prefabrication and the small spans make the timber construction economical.

The outdoor facilities are designed to be close to nature, with hilly areas, robust lawns and play islands. The edges, especially towards the compensation area, are designed as a »jungle«. All group rooms have a covered outdoor area that can also be used in bad weather. The balconies provide short and direct access from all group rooms to the outdoor area.

All rooms and outdoor areas are barrier-free.

AN DER STREUOBSTWIESE

New construction of two multi-family flats with a total of 18 residential units

In the northeastern section of the new development area »An den Streuobstwiesen« in Bad Nauheim Süd, two three-story multi-family residential buildings, each comprising nine units, have been constructed.

The two buildings feature a mix of 2- to 4-room apartments, with all ground-floor units designed to be barrier-free and directly connected to a private front yard. The upper-floor apartments also offer private outdoor spaces in the form of south- or west-facing balconies.

Access to the buildings is provided via the newly developed, traffic-calmed streets to the south of the site, with pedestrian pathways leading through the front gardens to the entrances.

The buildings are constructed in solid construction and have a full basement. The exterior walls are made of sand-lime bricks insulated with mineral wool. Load-bearing interior walls are solid, non-load-bearing walls are lightweight drywall.

Heating is supplied via a cold local heating network with a heat pump and buffer storage system. Each apartment is equipped with underfloor heating, individually controlled through its own distributor and heat meter.

The façades are finished with a thermal insulation composite system and light-coloured plas-ter. All above-ground windows are floor-to-ceiling.

The entrance area is emphasised by a precast concrete element that covers the entrance and integrate the mailbox systems. The balconies are also made of precast concrete elements. The railings and fall protection on the upper floors are made of fine steel bars. To protect against noise, the common rooms in the north have fixed glazed windows. Roller shutters are provid-ed for sun protection in the north and east, and folding sliding shutters in the south and west.

The four defining elements—precast concrete balcony slabs, wooden windows, steel railings, and folding sliding shutters—give the façades a dynamic architectural expression.

ATRIUM BLUMER LEHMANN HEADQUARTERS »STAMMHAUS«

The new headquarters of the Swiss timber construction company Blumer Lehmann exemplifies contemporary timber architecture. At its core, a sculptural atrium with a freeform stair – designed by the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) at the University of Stuttgart – unfolds through the precise arrangement and intersection of curved cross-laminated timber elements. These elements integrate a spiraling staircase, mediate between the building’s levels, frame views, define alcoves, and generate a distinct spatial character. The project synthesizes computational design methods, digital fabrication, and expert craftsmanship into an architectural expression that makes the pioneering potential of timber construction spatially tangible. The overall building, which houses 180 office workspaces, a conference hall, and a cafeteria, was designed by K&L Architekten, St. Gallen.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/atrium/

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PROJECT TEAM

Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD)
Prof. Achim Menges, Martin Alvarez, Laura Kiesewetter, David Stieler, Dr. Dylan Wood, with support of: Edgar Schefer, Lena Strobel, Alina Turean

Blumer Lehmann AG
Katharina Lehmann, Martin Looser, David Riggenbach, Ursula Frick, Bertie Hipkin, Benedikt Schneider

K&L Architekten AG
Thomas Lehmann, Johanna Deinet

SJB Kempter Fitze AG (Engineers)
Stefan Rick

WANGEN TOWER
Landesgartenschau in Wangen im Allgäu 2024, Germany

Set amidst the scenic landscape of the western Allgäu, the Wangen Tower is an architectural landmark and pioneering timber structure for the Landesgartenschau 2024. Based on research conducted at the Cluster of Excellence ‘Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC)’ at the University of Stuttgart, the tower is the very first multi-level, walkable building to use self-shaped, structural timber components. The distinctive expression of the tower’s unique timber structure stand as a testament to the latent design possibilities in naturally renewable, locally sourced, regionally manufactured and resource-effective timber architecture, which can be uncovered through an integrative approach to scientific research, materially-informed computational design, digital fabrication and expert craftsmanship.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/wangen-tower/

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PROJECT PARTNERS

Cluster of Excellence IntCDC – Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture, University of Stuttgart

Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD)
Prof. Achim Menges, Martin Alvarez, Monika Göbel, Laura Kiesewetter, David Stieler, Dr. Dylan Wood, with support of: Gonzalo Muñoz Guerrero, Alina Turean, Aaron Wagner

Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE)
Prof. Dr. Jan Knippers, Gregor Neubauer

Blumer-Lehmann AG
Katharina Lehmann, David Riggenbach, Jan Gantenbein

with Biedenkapp Stahlbau GmbH
Markus Reischmann, Frank Jahr

Stadt Wangen im Allgäu

Landesgartenschau Wangen im Allgäu 2024 GmbH

PROJECT COLLABORATIONS

Scientific Collaboration:
Chair of Forest Utilization, Prof. Dr. Markus Rüggeberg, TU Dresden

Further Consulting Engineers:
wbm Beratende Ingenieure
Dipl.-Ing. Dietmar Weber, Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Daniel Boneberg

Collins+Knieps Vermessungsingenieure
Frank Collins

Schöne Neue Welt Ingenieure GbR
Florian Scheible, Andreas Otto

lohrer.hochrein Landschaftsarchitekten DBLA

Building Approval:

Checking Engineer: Prof. Hans Joachim Blaß, Karlsruhe

Approval: MPA Stuttgart, Dr. Gerhard Dill Langer, Prof. Dr. Philipp Grönquist

Construction Collaboration for Foundation
Fischbach Bauunternehmen

PROJECT SUPPORT:

DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Zukunft Bau – Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Stadtentwicklung und Bauwesen/BBSR

TEXOVERSUM
New Education and Innovation Centre

Texoversum, an education, research and innovation centre for the cross-cutting technology in the field of textiles, is being established on the campus of Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences. As part of an ensemble, the new building will be developed and implemented as part of the master plan for the expansion of the Reutlingen campus. The Texoversum is a powerful and at the same time communicative element in the urban context of the academic institution. Allmann Sattler Wappner Architekten, Menges Scheffler Architekten and Jan Knippers Ingenieure are responsible for the design as a team. They were awarded first prize in the related design competition and subsequently commissioned with the realisation. The Texoversum comprises almost 3,000 square metres of space for different user groups. It includes workshops, laboratories, the internationally renowned collection of historical textile and fabric samples, multifunctional areas for research and development and various classrooms.

The architectural concept is based on a multifaceted examination of the topic of textile architecture. The design theme is reflected both structurally in the internal interweaving of functions and in the building envelope that creates its own identity. The unique façade made of carbon and glass fibres, the first of its kind to be implemented in this way, represents the innovative power and future viability of fibre-based materials and textile techniques. In a robotic winding process developed at the institutes of Achim Menges (ICD) and Jan Knippers (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart, each individual facade element can be individually tuned to its functional requirements. Starting from three basic modules, the elements transform themselves according to their orientation toward the sun and form a unique, multi-layered appearance. The elements are completely self-supporting and do not require a supporting structure. Their staggered arrangement allows free views. In addition to the functional requirements as external shading devices and guard railing, the façade meets aesthetic and representative demands and creates a distinctive building that expresses textiles as a driving force for technology.

The design theme of permeability and networking is continued in the conception of the building structure. In its inner structure, Texoversum is designed as an open, transparent building with split levels. The offset mezzanine levels, which are also visually interwoven via the atrium, connect the different areas of use with each other and form a spatial continuum that ends in a generous roof terrace. Visually, each level boasts an unmistakable industrial character with hard-wearing screed and polished concrete surfaces as well as a ceiling with exposed conduits. The tiered seating platforms, offering a contrast as soft-furnished spaces, are designed to connect the levels one with another. Separate areas can be partitioned off where needed using fabric dividers. This open-plan design creates a collaborative workspace for the respective user groups, fostering open communication and offering various forums for an animated exchange of ideas.

The neighborhood development in Fürstenried West, a district in the south of Munich, aims to create modern and sustainable living space. Around 650 new rental apartments in the mid-price segment are planned, of which around a third will be socially subsidized.

The new living space is to be created mainly on already sealed areas, in the form of additional storeys and in some cases through redensification. The architecture combines efficiency, comfort and sustainability in order to meet the needs of modern families and residents. To this end, the existing buildings are being renovated to make them more energy-efficient and supplemented with additional storeys in timber room module construction.

The site plan shows the buildings that are being extended using modular timber construction with room modules. The three N-buildings and the Y-building will each have two additional storeys, while the S-building will be extended by one storey. A total of 49 new residential units will be created, comprising a wide range of 2- to 5-room apartments.

The elevator shaft served as the basis for the planning, which was raised together with the staircase as a prefabricated reinforced concrete element. An additional level is created between the existing building and the extension, which acts as a load-distributing and cable-conducting layer. This intermediate level distributes the loads of the extension to the load-bearing transverse bulkheads of the existing building, allowing the floor plans of the new apartments to be designed independently of the floors below. This flexibility ensures that the modular structure is no longer recognizable in the interior of the extension.

Each apartment has a balcony and/or terrace and is characterized by generous window areas that create a bright and inviting ambience.

The external appearance of the extension will be clearly recognizable and reflects the materiality of the shell – a pre-greyed timber cladding. This pre-greying promotes an even ageing process of the façade. The existing building, on the other hand, will be renovated to make it more energy-efficient and will be given a white rendered façade, so that the two parts of the building stand out clearly from one another. The targeted positioning of the balconies of the extension directly above the existing balconies creates a dialog between the old and new building fabric.

FRITZ KISSEL SIEDLUNG
Extension of the listed Fritz Kissel estate with 130 flats in modular timber construction

The Fritz Kissel estate was built in the early 1950s. It follows on from the large Riedhof estate project from the May era, but differs fundamentally from the estates of the 1920s: the short three- and four-storey rows are aligned in a north/south direction and turned slightly towards each other. Vehicular access is from the gable ends of the rows, with residential paths leading through the lush green spaces in between to the house entrances. At the southern edge of the estate, the edge of the city is clearly marked by six-storey point blocks. As Frankfurt’s largest post-war housing estate, it was placed under a preservation order in 2000. Particularly worthy of protection is the urban design, which has remained almost unchanged to this day.

In view of the increasingly scarce living space in Frankfurt, the estate is to be carefully redensified. The following procedure was agreed in close consultation with the heritage authorities:

– Both owners must add storeys together in order to maintain the height development in the estate

– The open spaces could not be built on, all green areas had to be preserved.

– New living space could only be created in the estate by adding storeys, not by building extensions.

– The additions were to be designed in such a way that they differ from the existing buildings in terms of material and color. As a result, the original proportions of the development should remain visible even after the addition of storeys.

– The transoms with the dry floors and the small windows on the top floors were to be retained and not added to.

– All existing buildings were to receive a new coat of paint in the color scheme of the time of construction.

The extension with a total of 130 apartments is made of timber room modules. The blocks will have a single-storey extension, while the point blocks, which were already fitted with elevators during the last refurbishment, will have a two-storey extension. Due to the low weight, low noise emissions and short construction time, as well as for ecological reasons, the extra storeys will be built using modular timber construction. A load distribution level is introduced between the existing building and the extension, which also accommodates the supply lines. This so-called intermediate floor distributes the loads of the extension to the load-bearing transverse bulkheads of the existing building. This means that the floor plans in the extension are independent of the floors below. The result is a mix of two-, three- and four-room apartments with 30% subsidized apartments. The modular structure is no longer recognizable in the later interior spaces. The adaptive timber room modules allow the realization of light-flooded apartments with spacious, flowing and open rooms.

The tenants will remain in their apartments during the construction period. In order to reduce the construction work in the existing building to a minimum, the supply to the additional storeys is via external shafts. Air/water heat pumps powered by photovoltaics will be used to heat the new storeys.

The prefabrication of the room modules takes place in a field factory near Frankfurt. Here, the individual components are delivered on trucks and assembled into a total of 500 room modules on a production line.

A major advantage of a field factory is that it is not the finished modules that are transported across the country, but only the panel material. This enables very effective transportation of the finished room modules from the field factory to the construction site.

It also enables »just in time« delivery of the modules on site for a smooth and fast construction of approx. 100 m² of living space per day.

The entire project took place under full occupancy, had an extremely short and low-noise construction period and is resource-saving both in terms of the building materials used and the subsequent operation of the building.

HYBRID FLAX PAVILION
Landesgartenschau Wangen im Allgäu, 2024, Germany

The Hybrid Flax Pavilion constitutes a central exhibition building on the grounds of the Landesgartenschau, located on the winding banks of the recently revitalised Argen River. The pavilion showcases a novel wood-natural-fibre hybrid construction system developed by the Cluster of Excellence »Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture« (IntCDC) at the University of Stuttgart, as an alternative to conventional building methods. The unique hybrid system combines thin cross-laminated timber with robotically wound flax fibre bodies to create a novel, resource-efficient building structure made from regional, bio-based materials with a distinct local connection. Flax was historically processed in the local textile industry, whose old spinning mill was renovated as part of the Landesgartenschau. The pavilion’s gently undulating roof, together with its circular floor plan and centrally located climate garden, creates an exhibition space that seamlessly integrates into the surrounding landscape. The geothermally activatable floor slab made of recycled concrete provides year-round comfortable use of the permanent building.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/hybrid-flax-pavilion/

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PROJECT PARTNERS

Cluster of Excellence IntCDC – Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture, University of Stuttgart

ICD Institute for Computational Design and Construction

Prof. Achim Menges, Rebeca Duque Estrada, Monika Göbel, Harrison Hildebrandt, Fabian Kannenberg, Christoph Schlopschnat, Christoph Zechmeister

ITKE Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design
Prof. Dr. Jan Knippers, Tzu-Ying Chen, Gregor Neubauer, Marta Gil Pérez, Valentin Wagner

with support of: Daniel Bozo, Minghui Chen, Peter Ehvert, Alan Eskildsen, Alice Fleury, Sebastian Hügle, Niki Kentroti, Timo König, Laura Marsillo, Pascal Mindermann, Ivana Trifunovic, Weiqi Xie

Landesgartenschau Wangen im Allgäu 2024
Karl-Eugen Ebertshäuser, Hubert Meßmer

Stadt Wangen im Allgäu

HA-CO Carbon GmbH
Siegbert Pachner, Dr. Oliver Fischer, Danny Hummel

STERK abbundzentrum GmbH
Klaus Sterk, Franz Zodel, Simon Sterk

FoWaTec GmbH
Sebastian Forster

Biedenkapp Stahlbau GmbH
Stefan Weidle, Markus Reischmann, Frank Jahr

Harald Klein Erdbewegungen GmbH

PROJECT COLLABORATIONS

Scientific Collaboration:
IntCDC Large Scale Construction Laboratory
Sebastian Esser, Sven Hänzka, Hendrik Köhler, Sergej Klassen

Further Consulting Engineers:

Belzner Holmes und Partner Light-Design
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Thomas Hollubarsch, Victoria Coval

BiB Concept
Dipl.-Ing. Mathias Langhoff

Collins+Knieps Vermessungsingenieure
Frank Collins, Edgar Knieps

Moräne GmbH – Geotechnik Bohrtechnik
Luis Ulrich M.Sc.

Spektrum Bauphysik & Bauökologie
Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Markus Götzelmann

wbm Beratende Ingenieure
Dipl.-Ing. Dietmar Weber, Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Daniel Boneberg

lohrer.hochrein Landschaftsarchitekten DBLA

Building Approval:

Landesstelle für Bautechnik
Dr. Stefan Brendler, Dipl.-Ing. Steffen Schneider

Proof Engineer
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans Joachim Blaß, Dr.-Ing. Marcus Flaig

Versuchsanstalt für Stahl, Holz und Steine, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Ummenhofer, Dipl.-Ing. Jörg Schmied

MPA Materials Testing Institute, University of Stuttgart
Melissa Lücking M.Sc., Dipl.-Ing (FH) Frank Waibel

Construction Collaboration
ARGE- Leistungsbereich Wärmeversorgungs- und Mittelspannanlagen
Franz Miller OHG
Stauber + Steib GmbH

PROJECT SUPPORT:

DFG German Research Foundation

Ministerium für Ernährung, Ländlichen Raum und Verbraucherschutz Baden-Württemberg

Bioökonomie Baden-Württemberg: Forschung- und Entwicklung (FuE) Förderprogramm »Nachhaltige Bioökonomie als Innovationsmotor für den Ländlichen Raum«

Holz Innovativ Programm (HIP), Ministerium für Ernährung, Ländlichen Raum und Verbraucherschutz Baden-Württemberg

IFB Institute of Aircraft Design, University of Stuttgart

ISW Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units, University of Stuttgart

KUNSTFORUM INGELHEIM
Conversion, refurbishment and extension of a listed building ensemble

The Kunstforum Ingelheim was built in 1861 as the town hall of Nieder-Ingelheim. It has been used for exhibitions since the 1950s. It has become nationally known through the International Days of Ingelheim – art exhibitions that are firmly anchored in the cultural landscape of Rhineland-Palatinate and are organised every year with the support of Boehringer Ingelheim.

Together with the market square and fountain, the former infant school and a late Baroque residential building, the Old Town Hall forms a listed ensemble on Francois-Lachenal-Platz, close to the Imperial Palace.

As part of the necessary refurbishment, a new foyer and an additional exhibition space under the courtyard were added to the ensemble. The new underground exhibition space complements and enlarges the Kunstforum to a total of five exhibition rooms.

The new entrance to the Kunstforum is via the inner courtyard into the new foyer with ticket sales and museum shop. The listed pavilion adjoining the foyer was converted into a café with a catering kitchen and seating in the inner courtyard.

In order to provide barrier-free access to all levels, the existing staircase was redesigned and a lift was installed.

The exhibition rooms were given a neutral interior design, particularly suitable for temporary exhibitions. A flexible arrangement of darkening elements enables both daylight exhibitions and the complete panelling of the window openings as a hanging surface.

A particular challenge was to create a ventilation and air conditioning system that meets the high requirements of international lenders, despite the limited space available.

STADTTHEATER ASCHAFFENBURG
Conversion, restoration and extension of a listed theatre building.

The Aschaffenburg Municipal Theatre was founded in a three-gabled Renaissance building during the reign of Grand Duke Carl Theodor von Dalberg. The building never had its own representative theatre façade. The architect has also remained unknown to this day. All that is known is that the building was opened in 1811. The theatre experienced an eventful history with many conversions and changes of use. In 1944, it was badly damaged in an air raid. However, it was put back into operation as a temporary theatre in 1947.

The area around the theatre had changed considerably as a result of the destruction caused by the war. In place of the dense old town development, an open area had emerged that was used as a car park for many years. In addition, the new town hall building introduced a new urban scale to the old town centre. The construction of an underground car park finally freed up the car park for new uses.

In 2000, the city council decided to carry out a complete refurbishment of the theatre instead of the individual measures that had become necessary time and again. At the same time, the theatre square was to be redesigned. The decision was made in favour of an expert opinion process with the participation of the citizens.

In 2001, we were commissioned with the planning together with the Wolfgang Lautenschläger office. The first construction phase was a two-storey city loggia that closed off the theatre square towards the town hall. It also included access to the underground car park and a small ice cream parlour. The theatre square was built in the next construction phase. It was surfaced with light grey granite and a large horizontal sundial. A small watercourse divides the square into a sunny and a shady area. The square offers a pleasant and consumption-free outdoor space. In our eyes, it is the ‘living room’ of the Dalberg quarter.

The third construction phase concerns the theatre itself. In addition to the basic refurbishment, a second foyer was added to the upper floor and rooms were added for the new theatre restaurant.

The façade facing the square, which had been missing since the destruction of the war, was completed and topped off with a wide projecting canopy that corresponds with the roof of the city loggia.

With its façade dating from different periods (Renaissance, Classicism, reconstruction, present day), the municipal theatre makes the eventful history of the theatre itself visible. The theatre was reopened in 2011 to celebrate its 200th anniversary.

BUGA WOOD PAVILION
Bundesgartenschau Heilbronn 2019

The BUGA Wood Pavilion celebrates a new approach to digital timber construction. Its segmented wood shell is based on biological principles found in the plate skeleton of sea urchins, which have been studied by the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart for almost a decade.

As part of the project, a robotic manufacturing platform was developed for the automated assembly and milling of the pavilion’s 376 bespoke hollow wood segments. This fabrication process ensures that all segments fit together with sub-millimetre precision like a big, three-dimensional puzzle. The stunning wooden roof spans 30 meters over one of BUGA’s main event and concert venues, using a minimum amount of material while also generating a unique architectural space.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/buga-wood-pavilion-2019/

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PROJECT PARTNERS

ICD Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Achim Menges, Martin Alvarez, Monika Göbel, Abel Groenewolt, Oliver David Krieg, Ondrej Kyjanek, Hans Jakob Wagner

ITKE Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Jan Knippers, Lotte Aldinger, Simon Bechert, Daniel Sonntag

with support of: Jorge Christie, Rebeca Duque Estrada, Robert Faulkner, Fabian Kannenberg, Guillaume Caussarieu, Bahar Al Bahar, Kyriaki Goti, Mathias Maierhofer, Valentina Soana, Babasola Thomas

Müllerblaustein Bauwerke GmbH, Blaustein
Reinhold Müller, Daniel Müller, Bernd Schmid

BEC GmbH
Matthias Buck, Zied Bhiri

Bundesgartenschau Heilbronn 2019
Hanspeter Faas, Oliver Toellner

PROJECT BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS

Landesstelle für Bautechnik
Dr. Stefan Brendler und Dipl.-Ing. Willy Weidner

Proof Engineer
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hugo Rieger

MPA Stuttgart
Dr. Simon Aicher

PLANNING PARTNERS

Belzner Holmes Light-Design, Stuttgart
Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Hollubarsch

BIB Kutz GmbH & Co.KG, Karlsruhe
Dipl.- Ing. Beatrice Gottlöber

IIGS – Institut for Engineering Geodesy, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Volker Schwieger, Laura Balange, Urs Basalla

PROJECT SUPPORT

State of Baden-Wuerttemberg
University of Stuttgart
EFRE European Union
GETTYLAB
DFG German Research Foundation

Carlisle Construction Materials GmbH
Puren GmbH
Hera Gmbh & Co. KG
Beck Fastener Group
J. Schmalz GmbH
Niemes Dosiertechnik GmbH
Jowat Adhesives SE
Raithle Präzisionswerkzeuge Service
Leuze electronic GmbH & Co. KG
Metsä Wood Deutschland GmbH

ELYTRA FILAMENT PAVILION
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Elytra Filament Pavilion celebrates a truly integrative approach to design and engineering. As a centrepiece of the V&A’s Engineering Season it demonstrates how architectural design can unfold from a synergy of structural engineering, environmental engineering and production engineering, resulting in unique spatial and aesthetic qualities. It showcases the profound impact of emerging technologies on our conceptualisation of design, engineering and making, by intensifying the visitors architectural experience of the museum’s central garden. But instead of being merely a static display, the pavilion constitutes a dynamic space and an evolving structure. The cellular canopy grows from an onsite fabrication nucleus, and it does so in response to patterns of inhabitation of the garden over time, driven by real time sensing data. The pavilion’s capacity to be locally produced, to expand and to contract over time provides a vision of future inner city green areas with responsive semi-outdoor spaces that enable a broader spectrum of public activities, and thus extend the use of the scarce resource of public urban ground.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/elytra-filament-pavilion/

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DESIGN, ENGINEERING AND FABRICATION TEAM

Achim Menges with Moritz Dörstelmann
ICD–Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Achim Menges Architect, Frankfurt
Team also includes: Marshall Prado (fabrication development), Aikaterini Papadimitriou, Niccolo Dambrosio, Roberto Naboni, with support by Dylan Wood, Daniel Reist

Jan Knippers
ITKE–Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design, University of Stuttgart
Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering, Stuttgart, New York
Team also includes: Valentin Koslowski & James Solly (structure development), Thiemo Fildhuth (structural sensors)

Thomas Auer
Transsolar Climate Engineering, Stuttgart
Building Technology and Climate Responsive Design, TU München
Team also includes: Elmira Reisi, Boris Plotnikov

With the support of:
Michael Preisack, Christian Arias, Pedro Giachini, Andre Kauffman, Thu Nguyen, Nikolaos Xenos, Giulio Brugnaro, Alberto Lago, Yuliya Baranovskaya, Belen Torres, IFB University of Stuttgart (Prof. P. Middendorf)

Commission:
Victoria & Albert Museum, London 2016

FUNDING

Victoria & Albert Museum, London
University of Stuttgart

Getty Lab

Kuka Roboter GmbH + Kuka Robotics UK Ltd
SGL Carbon SE
Hexion
Covestro AG
FBGS International NV
Arnold AG
PFEIFER Seil- und Hebetechnik GmbH
Stahlbau Wendeler GmbH + Co. KG
Lange+Ritter GmbH
STILL GmbH

SUZHOU APARTEMENT-HOTEL PAVILIONS

The six innovative timber pavilions were constructed for the 9th Horticultural Expo in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. The design anticipated the post-Expo use as apartment pavilions that form part of a hotel.

LANDESGARTENSCHAU EXHIBITION HALL
Landesgartenschau Schwäbisch Gmünd, 2014

The Landesgartenschau Exhibition Hall is an architectural demonstrator building and a showcase for the current developments in computational design and robotic fabrication for lightweight timber construction. Funded by the European Union and the state of Baden-Württemberg, the building is the first to have its primary structure entirely made of robotically prefabricated beech plywood plates. The newly developed timber construction offers not only innovative architectural possibilities; it is also highly resource efficient, with the load bearing plate structure being just 50mm thin. This is made possible through integrative computational design, simulation, fabrication and surveying methods.

The Landesgartenschau Exhibition Hall was conceived at the University of Stuttgart as part of the »Robotics in Timber Construction« research project and realized in collaboration with Müllerblaustein Holzbau GmbH, Landesgartenschau Schwäbisch Gmünd 2014 GmbH, the forest administration of Baden-Württemberg (ForstBW) and KUKA Robotics GmbH. The project demonstrates the new opportunities that arise from the integration of computational design, simulation and fabrication methods for performative and resource efficient constructions made from the locally available and renewable resource wood. The building introduces an innovative, robotically fabricated lightweight timber plate construction system made of beech plywood. It was developed at the Institute for Computational Design (ICD, Prof. Achim Menges), the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE, Prof. Jan Knippers), and the Institute of Engineering Geodesy (IIGS, Prof. Volker Schwieger) and realized in collaboration with Müllerblaustein Holzbau GmbH. The building is part of the biannual Landesgartenschau, where it hosts an exhibition by ForstBW. The project was partly funded by the European Fund for Regional Development (ERDF) and »Forst und Holz« Baden-Württemberg as well as by the project partners.

Wood is one of the oldest building materials known to mankind. But the advent of novel robotic fabrication processes in conjunction with computational design, simulation, and surveying methods, offers entirely new design possibilities and fields of application. These form the basis for particularly performative and efficient constructions made from the locally available and renewable resource wood.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/landesgartenschau-exhibition-hall/

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PROJECT TEAM

ICD Institute for Computational Design
Prof. A. Menges (PI), Tobias Schwinn, Oliver David Krieg

ITKE Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design
Prof. J. Knippers, Jian-Min Li

IIGS Institute of Engineering Geodesy
Prof. Volker Schwieger, Annette Schmitt

Müllerblaustein Holzbau GmbH>
Reinhold Müller, Benjamin Eisele

KUKA Roboter GmbH
Alois Buchstab, Frank Zimmermann

Landesbetrieb Forst Baden-Württemberg
Sebastian Schreiber, Frauke Brieger

Landesgartenschau Schwäbisch Gmünd 2014 GmbH
Karl-Eugen Ebertshäuser, Sabine Rieger

PROJECT FUNDING

EFRE European Union
Clusterinitiative Forst und Holz Baden Württemberg
Landesgartenschau Schwäbisch Gmünd 2014 GmbH
müllerblaustein Bauwerke GmbH
KUKA Roboter GmbH
Landesbetrieb Forst Baden-Württemberg

PROJECT SUPPORT

Adler Deutschland GmbH
Autodesk GmbH
Carlisle Construction Materials GmbH
Fagus Stiftung
Gutex H. Henselmann GmbH & Co. KG
Hess & Co. AG
MPA–Materials Testing Institute, University of Stuttgart
Leitz GmbH & Co. KG
Spax International GmbH & Co. KG

HYGROSKIN – METEOROSENSITIVE PAVILION
Permanent Collection, FRAC Centre Orleans, France

The project HygroSkin – Meteorosensitive Pavilion explores a novel mode of climate-responsive architecture. While most attempts towards environmental responsiveness heavily rely on elaborate technical equipment superimposed on otherwise inert material constructs, this project uses the responsive capacity of the material itself. The dimensional instability of wood in relation to moisture content is employed to construct a metereosensitive architectural skin that autonomously opens and closes in response to weather changes but neither requires the supply of operational energy nor any kind of mechanical or electronic control. Here, the material structure itself is the machine.

The travelling pavilion’s modular wooden skin is designed and produced utilizing the self-forming capacity of initially planar plywood sheets to form conical surfaces based on the material’s elastic behavior. Within the deep, concave surface of each robotically fabricated module a weather-responsive aperture is placed. Materially programming the humidity-responisve behaviour of these apertures opens up the possibility for a strikingly simple yet truly ecologically embedded architecture in constant feedback and interaction with its surrounding environment. The responsive wood-composite skin adjusts the porosity of the pavilion in direct response to changes in ambient relative humidity. These climatic changes – which form part of our everyday live but usually escape our conscious perception – trigger the silent, material-innate movement of the wooden skin. This subtle yet constant modulation of the relationship between the pavilion’s exterior and interior provides for a unique convergence of environmental and spatial experiences.

The project was commissioned by the FRAC Centre Orleans for its renowned permanent collection and was first shown in the exhibition »ArchiLab 2013 – Naturalizing Architecture« that opened on 14th of September 2013.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/hygroskin-meteorosensitive-pavilion/

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PROJECT TEAM

Achim Menges Architect, Frankfurt
Achim Menges, Steffen Reichert, Boyan Mihaylov
(Project Development, Design Development)

Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Achim Menges, Oliver David Krieg, Steffen Reichert, David Correa, Katja Rinderspacher, Tobias Schwinn, Nicola Burggraf, Zachary Christian with Yordan Domuzov, Tobias Finkh, Gergana Hadzhimladenova, Michael Herrick, Vanessa Mayer, Henning Otte, Ivaylo Perianov, Sara Petrova, Philipp Siedler, Xenia Tiefensee, Sascha Vallon, Leyla Yunis
(Scientific Development, Detail Development, Robotic Fabrication, Assembly)

PROJECT FUNDING

FRAC Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain du Centre
Robert Bosch Stiftung
Kiess GmbH
Cirp GmbH
Holzhandlung Wider GmbH

HYGROSCOPE – METEOROSENSITIVE MORPHOLOGY
Permanent Collection, Centre Pompidou, Paris

The project explores a novel mode of responsive architecture based on the combination of material inherent behaviour and computational morphogenesis. The dimensional instability of wood in relation to moisture content is employed to construct a climate responsive architectural morphology. Suspended within a humidity controlled glass case the model opens and closes in response to climate changes with no need for any technical equipment or energy. Mere fluctuations in relative humidity trigger the silent changes of material-innate movement. The material structure itself is the machine.

The project was commissioned by the Centre Pompidou Paris for its permanent collection and will be first shown in the exhibition »Multiversités Créatives« starting on 2nd of May 2012.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/hygroscope-meteorosensitive-morphology/

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PROJECT TEAM

Achim Menges Architect, Frankfurt
Prof. Achim Menges, Steffen Reichert, Boyan Mihaylov
(Project Development, Design Development)

Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Achim Menges, Steffen Reichert, Nicola Burggraf, Tobias Schwinn with Claudio Calandri, Nicola Haberbosch, Oliver Krieg, Marielle Neuser, Viktoriya Nikolova, Paul Schmidt
(Design Development, Scientific Development, Robotic Fabrication, Assembly)

Transsolar Climate Engineering, Stuttgart
Thomas Auer, Daniel Pianka
(Climate Engineering)

PROJECT SUPPORT

Centre Pompidou Paris
Rubner Holding AG
Glasbau Hahn GmbH
Competence Network Biomimetics
Steelcase Werndl AG

BÖRSENVEREIN DES DEUTSCHEN BUCHHANDEL
Conversion and extension of three listed buildings

Competition, 1st prize

The new home of the Börsenverein is located in Frankfurt’s city centre between Braubachstraße and Berliner Straße. It consists of three listed old buildings that are now part of the city’s familiar image. These three buildings and a new building house the entire Börsenverein group: the Börsenverein itself, the Gesellschaft für Ausstellungen und Messen and the Marketing- und Vertriebsgesellschaft (MVB) as well as other Börsenverein institutions.

They will be carefully adapted to their new use through refurbishment, remodelling, two extensions inside the block and connecting bridges.

Despite their different appearances, the two buildings in Braubachstrasse date back to 1926 and are part of the first major redevelopment of the old city centre, which was carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. In contrast, the house in Berliner Strasse was only completed in 1956. It symbolises the return of white modernism after the Second World War and pays homage to Le Corbusier’s ‘Pavillon Suisse’ in Paris.

VOGELWEIDESTRASSE
New construction of an apartment block with 12 flats

The two-storey apartment block with 12 flats is a monolithic construction with a pitched roof. The floor plans are organised as two-flats. The flat sizes vary between three and four rooms or 81.57 m² to 97.08 m².

The ground-floor flats have a terrace as a private outdoor area, while the flats on the upper floors have balconies and loggias. The balconies are exposed prefabricated concrete elements with solid parapets at the front and cantilevered glass guardrails at the sides. The exits to the private outdoor areas on all floors are linked to the kitchens and the living area in the floor plan.

The exterior walls are made of 36.5 cm Poroton masonry, plastered and painted white. The roof is covered with grey-engobed, smooth clay tiles. The window railings match the grey framed windows. The technical installations, such as the air conditioning system, boiler and hot water system, are located in the technical room on the top floor. The collector surfaces are integrated into the roof covering.

EXHIBITION ‘MENSCH! SCULPTUR’
as part of the International Days Ingelheim, Kunstforum Ingelheim

To mark the completion of our refurbished and extended art forum, the sculpture exhibition ‘Mensch! Sculpture’ was opened as part of the Ingelheim International Days.

The exhibition architecture and the composition of the individual sculptures were created in close collaboration with the curator Dr Ulrich Luckhardt.

The exhibition ‘Mensch! Sculpture’ shows works by 12 important sculptors who deal with the theme of the human body. The 61 exhibits made of marble, bronze or terracotta are by the artists Alexander Archipenko, Max Beckmann, Rudolf Belling, Edgar Degas, Alberto Giacometti, Georg Kolbe, Henri Laurens, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Aristide Maillol, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso and Auguste Rodin.

Expert opinion procedure 1st rank

The three residential buildings take up the typology of the detached villa that characterised the original development on this site.

The ground floors are used for commercial purposes and are connected along the street. The flats on the standard floors have two and three rooms, while large flats and maisonettes have been created on the upper floors.

All flats have covered balconies with sliding shutters for sun protection. The lush green inner courtyard is shared with the neighbouring offices.

STADTWERKE
Conversion, refurbishment and extension of the Stadtwerke customer centre from 1954

The project goes back to a limited realisation competition won in the 1990s. The old customer centre was built in 1954 on a destroyed inner city site on the newly aligned Kurt-Schumacher-Straße.

The old reinforced concrete skeleton construction clad in natural stone did not meet the requirements of modern office space in terms of building technology or utilisation. In addition, an increase in office space was required, which led to an extension of the old building.

INSTITUTE FOR CITY HISTORY IN THE FORMER CARMELITE MONASTERY
Conversion and renovation of the listed monastery complex

The former Carmelite monastery in Frankfurt am Main was founded in the 13th century and extended as a late Gothic monastery complex in the 15th century. Large parts of the monastery building were destroyed during the Second World War. After reconstruction and restoration in the 1950s, the monastery is now home to the Institute of City History.

The Institute for City History, formerly the ‘City Archive’, is divided into several buildings with up to four storeys, in which a reference library with reading room, exhibition/seminar and lecture rooms are housed alongside the administrative rooms. The cloister, refectory and parlatorium now serve as event venues.

The overall refurbishment covers the façades and interiors as well as the outdoor facilities. The event rooms were brought up to the latest technical standards in terms of lighting, acoustics and burglar resistance and equipped with contemporary furnishings.

The former Carmelite monastery is a listed building. The murals by Jörg Ratgeb in the cloister and refectory are among the most important pre-baroque murals in Germany.