Henning Larsen Architects to Design Research Building in Stuttgart, Germany

Henning Larsen Architects has won the competition for a new research building for the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research in Stuttgart. The Center is one of Germany’s leading research institutions in the field of renewable energy.

In July '11, the Danish firm had won another big architectural competition in Germany for the new Siemens global headquarters in Munich (previously on Bustler).

Project Description from the Architects:

The new Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research situated in Stuttgarter Engineering Park (STEP) will house researchers conducting research on sustainable technologies and energy forms. The flexible building design allows for it to be adapted to new, changed research requirements in the future.

Carefully integrated into the surrounding context, the building features various heights that relate to the city and adjacent buildings. The building will create a new, distinctive entrance to Stuttgarter Engineering Park and provide an insight into the ongoing research. It has been a specific wish of the researchers that their work is reflected in the facade design.

The Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research comprises offices, laboratories, meeting and conference facilities. It is designed as a grid of small units to meet the requirement for a highly flexible workplace that serves as a dynamic framework for the ongoing research and innovation activities.

The individual spaces can easily be connected to create larger spaces as needed. The different units are made up of modules – with a large, open courtyard or atrium in the middle of every module. This structure accentuates the spatial qualities and facilitates the users’ orientation in the building. The atriums bring daylight far into the building and function as natural gathering points during the workday.

The grid structure ensures a high degree of mobility and freedom to change and expand the building. The organisation in modules allows for small expansions over time, as little as 300 m2 at a time if required. In addition, the rational building design creates visual contact across the atriums and green oases, which the researchers can use for work or informal meetings.

The scale of the building adapts to the local context, which accommodates both families and large research institutions. The various heights of the modules thus also represent the diversity of research activities and departments at the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research.

Sustainability

The Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research meets strict, German requirements for sustainability. Through the design process, the energy consumption of the building has continually been simulated through studies of volume, material selection, ceiling height, light and shadow, sound, wind and opportunity for indoor and outdoor spaces. By selecting and fully exploiting the most efficient solutions, the energy consumption of the centre has been minimised. Particularly, an effective use of daylight has contributed to reducing the energy consumption.

About Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research

The Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Stuttgart is one of Germany’s leading research institutions and conducts research on renewable energy. The centre employs a staff of more than 220 researchers, engineers and technicians who are distributed across several offices in Germany, more specifically in Stuttgart, Ulm and Widderstall.

Project Details:

Project title: Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
Client: ZSW Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung
Gross floor area: 13,000 m2
Type of assignment: 1st prize in invited, international competition

Architect: Henning Larsen Architects

Team: Henning Larsen Architects, Transsolar, Knippers Helbig and ZWP Ingenieur AG

Team at Henning Larsen Architects: Louis Becker (Partner), Werner Frosch (Project Director), Kostas Poulopoulos (Lead Design Architect), Ósbjørn Jacobsen, Andreas Schulte, Maine Godderidge, Silke Jörgenshaus, Blanca Ulzurrun, Emil Skibsted Tranæs, Laura Schmitt and Julia Menz

Sustainability concept: Signe Kongebro, Jakob Strømann-Andersen, Lise Mansfeldt Faurbjerg and Kalle Park

Illustrations: Christian Schjøll and Wesam Asali

Find plans, elevations, and sections in the image gallery below.