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.

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

CYBER-PHYSICAL SPATIAL SCULPTURE
Buchheim Museum

The spatial sculpture addresses the socially relevant issue of the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. However, it undertakes this contextualisation in an unusual way. A tangible space is created from the programming of the material and thus encourages a physical confrontation with the cyber-physical systems that increasingly surround us. The result is a place of contemplation and reflection that simultaneously celebrates the scenic surroundings by framing views and thus questions the dialectic of the digital and the physical.

The spatial wooden structure raises the question of the assumed and actual form of a material. Existing conventions lead us to believe that wood materials are rod-shaped or plate-shaped. This corresponds with an overarching idea of orthogonal ordering systems that characterise our built environment. Ultimately, this is a fiction of geometric control, standardisation and plannability that characterises our industrialised world. New digital technologies make it possible to question this form of standardisation through a much more precise understanding of the material itself. This creates new perspectives for a respectful and sustainable use of energy and resources, for which the concept of material programming is symptomatic.

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PROJECT TEAM

Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart
Prof. Achim Menges, Yasaman Tahouni, Dylan Wood

URBACH TOWER
Remstal Gartenschau 2019

The Urbach Tower is one of 16 stations designed by some of the most renowned German architects for the Remstal Gartenschau 2019. The stations are small, permanent buildings that evoke the traditional white chapels distributed in the fields and vineyards along the scenic Rems Valley. Located on a prominent hillside in the center of the valley, the 14 m tall tower is a striking landmark that visually connects several stations. It provides a place of shelter, internal reflection and outward view by revealing stunning vistas and framing the landscape. The distinctive form of the tower constitutes a truly contemporary architectural expression of the traditional construction material wood. It celebrates the innate and natural characteristics of self-shaped wood in its upwards spiraling shape. The concave curvature of the structure on the outside results in sharp lines and crisp surfaces, which is further accentuated by direct day light and whitening of the larch cladding over time. In contrast, on the interior the convex curvature creates an unexpected visual and tactile material experience, with the timber structure appearing to be almost soft and textile-like, highlighted by the light washing the gently undulating surfaces. Opposite the entrance, the thin wood envelope opens like curtain, putting the Rems Valley on center stage.

The design of the tower emerges from a new self-shaping process of the curved wood components. This pioneering development constitutes a paradigm shift in timber manufacturing from elaborate and energy-intensive mechanical forming processes that require heavy machinery to a process where the material shapes entirely by itself. This shape change is driven only by the wood’s characteristic shrinking during a decrease of moisture content. Components for the 14 m tall tower are designed and manufactured in a flat state and transform autonomously into the final, programmed curved shapes during industry-standard technical drying. This opens up new and unexpected architectural possibilities for high performance and elegant structures, using a sustainable, renewable, and locally sourced building material.

The Urbach Tower constitutes the very first structure worldwide made from self-shaped, building-scale components. It not only showcases this innovative manufacturing approach and resultant novel timber structure; it also intensifies the visitors’ spatial involvement and landscape experience by providing a striking landmark building for the City of Urbach’s contribution to the Remstal Gartenschau 2019.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/remstal-gartenschau-2019-urbach-turm/

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PROJECT TEAM

ICD Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Achim Menges, Dylan Wood
Architectural Design
Self-forming Curved Wood Components Research and Development

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

Scientific collaboration:

Laboratory of Cellulose and Wood Materials, Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology), Switzerland & Wood Materials Science, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich), Switzerland
Dr. Markus Rüggeberg, Philippe Grönquist, Prof. I. Burgert
Self-forming Curved Wood Components Research and Development (PI)

Industry collaboration:

Blumer-Lehmann AG, Gossau, Switzerland
Katharina Lehmann, David Riggenbach
Self-forming Curved Wood Components Research and Development
Wood Manufacturing and Construction

PROJECT SUPPORT

Gemeinde Urbach

Remstal Gartenschau 2019 GmbH

University of Stuttgart

Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt DBU (German Federal Environmental Foundation)
Design, Fabrication and Engineering Methods for the application of curved wood elements in high-performance, resource-efficient wood construction: Project Tower Urbach, Remstal Gartenschau 2019

InnoSuisse – Swiss Innovation Agency
Smart, Innovative Manufacturing of Curved Wooden Components for Architecture with Complex Geometry

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

BUGA FIBRE PAVILION
Bundesgartenschau Heilbronn 2019

Embedded in the wavelike landscape of the Bundesgartenschau grounds, the BUGA Fibre Pavilion offers visitors an astounding architectural experience and a glimpse of future construction. It builds on many years of biomimetic research in architecture at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart.

The pavilion demonstrates how combining cutting-edge computational technologies with constructional principles found in nature enables the development of truly novel and genuinely digital building systems. The pavilion’s load-bearing structure is robotically produced from advanced fibre composites only. This globally unique structure is not only highly effective and exceptionally lightweight, but it also provides a distinctive yet authentic architectural expression and an extraordinary spatial experience.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

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

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PROJECT PARTNERS

ICD Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Achim Menges, Serban Bodea, Niccolo Dambrosio, Monika Göbel, Christoph Zechmeister

ITKE Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Jan Knippers, Valentin Koslowski Marta Gil Pérez, Bas Rongen

with support of: Rasha Alshami, Karen Andrea Antorvaeza Paez, Cornelius Carl, Sophie Collier, Brad Elsbury, James Hayward, Marc Hägele, You-Wen Ji, Ridvan Kahraman, Laura Kiesewetter, Xun Li, Grzegorz Lochnicki, Francesco Milano, Seyed Mobin Moussavi, Marie Razzhivina, Sanoop Sibi, Zi Jie Tan, Naomi Kris Tashiro, Babasola Thomas, Vaia Tsiokou, Sabine Vecvagare, Shu Chuan Yao

FibR GmbH, Stuttgart
Moritz Dörstelmann, Ondrej Kyjanek, Philipp Essers, Philipp Gülke; with support of: Leonard Balas, Robert Besinger, Elaine Bonavia, Yen-Cheng Lu

Bundesgartenschau Heilbronn 2019 GmbH
Hanspeter Faas, Oliver Toellner

PROJECT BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS

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

Proof Engineer
Dipl.-Ing. Achim Bechert, Dipl.-Ing. Florian Roos

DITF German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Götz T. Gresser, Pascal Mindermann

PLANNING PARTNERS

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

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

Transsolar Climate Engineering, Stuttgart
Prof. Thomas Auer

Frauenhofer-Institut ICT
Dipl.-Ing. Elisa Seiler

PROJECT SUPPORT

State of Baden-Wuerttemberg
University of Stuttgart
Baden-Württemberg Stiftung
GETTYLAB
Forschungsinitiative Zukunft Bau
Leichtbau BW

Pfeifer GmbH
Ewo GmbH
Fischer Group

BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG HAUS
World EXPO 2020, Dubai

The Baden-Wuerttemberg Haus reflects the federal State of Baden-Wuerttemberg’s technological, ecological and cultural competence at the World EXPO 2020 in Dubai. The pavilion creates a unique exhibition space and architecturally embodies the state’s leading position in engineering and advanced manufacturing, the sustainable use of natural resources, and cutting research in design and construction.

The essential message of the pavilion initially emanates from its shell, the biomimetic form. Its shape is based on the observation and research of construction methods in nature. The supporting structures of plants or animals consist of a multitude of elements that look the same at first glance, but on closer observation each has its own individual shape according to its physical requirements. With the unique integrative computational design methods developed at the University of Stuttgart, it is possible to transfer the construction principles that prevail in nature to architecture. Each of the individual wooden elements therefore has a differentiated form and structure. The element is also a symbol of the individual people who are creating the project together in line with the motto ‘connecting minds’. It also symbolises the combination of renewable construction materials and state-of-the-art industrial production. In this respect, it also symbolises the high-tech location of Baden-Württemberg.

STAGE ENVELOPE
Pier 17, Manhatten

The Stage Envelope on the rooftop of Pier 17 combines the characteristics of an extraordinary location in Manhattan with an exceptional piece of architecture to create a unique place. The project’s constituting feature is a novel composite roof structure. Made entirely from carbon and glass fiber in a fully digital fabrication process, this filamentous building system is as architecturally expressive as it is structurally efficient. It intensifies the visitors’ experience of the rooftop by being a distinctive event backdrop, a structural spectacle, and a piece of public art. It also establishes a new architectural landmark in a most prominent position of New York City.

The stage envelope is the collaborative work of Menges Scheffler Architects and Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering. Its characteristic architecture is based on many years of research conducted at the University of Stuttgart, where Achim Menges heads the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and Jan Knippers the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE).

More informationen about the Stage Envelope:

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/pier-17-nyc

https://www.6sqft.com/lpc-approves-achim-menges-futuristic-rooftop-pavilion-and-stage-for-pier-17/

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.

VERTICAL EXTENSION OF INNER-CITY CAR PARK

The project comprises the new construction of a lightweight timber shell on an existing inner-city car park with minimal intervention in the existing structure. This enables a new use of the top car park level as a commercial building. The urban context and the challenging statics predestine this construction task for an innovative lightweight timber construction. State-of-the-art computer-based design and manufacturing processes make the high-performance cross-laminated timber shell possible. The technology for this construction was developed in collaboration with the institutes ICD and ITKE at the University of Stuttgart. The segmented timber shell spans across the split-level car park, creating three staggered, independent levels. The structure of the hexagonal timber honeycombs can be clearly seen inside, as the underside of the load-bearing timber construction is left untreated.

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

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The competition proposal for the New Czech National Library in Prague, a collaborative project of OCEAN NORTH and Scheffler + Partner, seeks to provide both a singular monolithic appearance for one of the key buildings of Czech culture, as well as a continuous and gradient spatial experience of the building and adjacent landscape of the site. The overall building volume is structured to be at the same time contained and open, confined and continuous, providing differentiated spatial experiences for visitors and employees alike. The scheme is understood as one of several landscaped sites that together form a network of adjacent events, differentiated spatial provisions and scenic spots.

The distinctive tectonic articulation of the cantilevering volumes is developed through generative computational processes driven by spatial and structural criteria. In an analytic procedure the stress distribution within the envelope of a specified volume is evaluated and mapped as a vector field of principal forces. According to this structural information, combined with other parameters such as for instance the angle of incident of sunlight, view axes and spatial characteristics, a network of merging branches is derived. The resulting changing opacity and permeability of the building envelope that ranges from the opaque and solid national archive to the gradient density of the cantilevered envelopes‘ structural skin and the open access to public landscape provides a wide range of spatial and microclimatic situation that facilitate and enable both, the high level of organisational control required for a library building and the heterogeneous conditions enabling zones of migrating activities and intensified individual experience of inhabiting space and enjoying the various media and the social dynamic of the library.

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PROJECT TEAM

OCEAN NORTH and Scheffler + Partner

Project Coordination: Michael Hensel and Achim Menges
Project Team: Andrea Di Stefano, Aleksandra Jaeschke, Steinar Killi, Eva Scheffler, Birger Sevaldson, Defne Sunguroğlu, Guillem Barraut, Mattia Gambardella, Pavel Hladik, Gabriel Sanchiz

Engineering Consultants: Bollinger & Grohmann Consulting Engeneers
Landscape Consultant: Thom Roelly

VISITOR CENTRE HERCULES MONUMENT

The competition design for a visitor centre for the Hercules monument in Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, Germany, which is on the list of prospective world heritage sites, is situated at the 515m high peak of a major baroque sight axis of between Kassel Wilhelmshöhe Palace, a 250m long water cascade and the 71m tall Hercules monument designed by Francesco Guerniero in 1717. Due to the complex historical situation the proposal for the visitor centre suggests an infolding of the park to articulate an interior landscape submerged underground that intensifies the transition from the natural surrounding of Habichtswald to the baroque park and monument. Thus, rather than relating the competition brief to specific spatial entities that aim at directly answering the programmatic and volumetric requirements the project‘s spatial strategy is based on providing an interior environment made up of different micro-milieus. These offer a range of luminous conditions, surface articulations and views along each visitor‘s path to the Hercules monument through strategic penetrations of the exterior park by which the structure is covered. Thus the western approach to Wilhelmshöhe passing through the visitor centre is articulated as a series of terrains that allow each visitor to choose individual itineraries and sojourns as a personal response to daily and seasonal changes of light intensities, different vistas, programmatic provisions and duration of visit.