ArchShowcase 
Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Town hall in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany by ingenhoven architectsFebruary 6th, 2018 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: ingenhoven architects World’s first public net-surplus-energy building—it generates more energy than it consumes. The new building of the first construction phase of the new town hall in Freiburg im Breisgau with its administration center and day nursery is the world’s first public building built to the net-surplusenergy standard and accommodates the 840 employees of the City Administration under one roof after they had previously been spread over 16 different sites throughout the city.  The new construction of the first phase of the town hall extension Freiburg is the first public net plus energy building of this type and use worldwide, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch
 The building ensemble of the new Town Hall integrates into the green space between Eschholzpark and the University Hospital, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch
 Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch  Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch The new administration center, which is part of the town hall extension for the City of Freiburg, is designed to provide a stimulus for upgrading the Stühlinger area of Freiburg in terms of town planning and urban design, and to provide a green belt link between Eschholz Park and the University Hospital.  Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch  The circular new construction of the nursery for about 90 children with characteristic arcade, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch The winning entry by ingenhoven architects to the 2013 international architectural competition embodies the principles of openness and transparency and incorporates a “green campus” concept, in which three building tracts and a day nursery are combined.  The heart of the new six-story building is the citizens’ service center with conference rooms, and staff restaurant on the first floor, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch  All offices and workplaces were considered for functionality, openness as well as flat hierarchical working planned by privacy and security, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch The ensemble of the new town hall buildings is integrated in the green space between Eschholz Park and the University Hospital—the linking effect is reinforced by vistas and a public pathway network. By increasing the public space at Fehrenbachallee, space has been opened up for a new address, thereby creating an attractive public city square. The main entrance to the new building is situated opposite the existing building. The second construction phase will create additional oval buildings providing workplaces for the City’s administration.  All offices and workplaces were considered for functionality, openness as well as flat hierarchical working planned by privacy and security, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch  All offices and workplaces were considered for functionality, openness as well as flat hierarchical working planned by privacy and security, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch The heart of the new six-story building, which replaces a town hall pavilion from the 1960s, is the citizens’ service center with conference rooms, and staff restaurant on the first floor. The floors above include single and double offices, as well as large team offices with open-plan desk arrangements for the respective departments of the City Administration. Thanks to a variable glazed partition wall system the plan layout of the offices is flexible and reversible. The routes through the town hall are designed in a transparent and open way, allowing easy orientation; there are several areas placed throughout the building that are designed to promote interaction and communication.  All offices and workplaces were considered for functionality, openness as well as flat hierarchical working planned by privacy and security, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch  New Freiburg Town Hall with citizens service center on the ground floor, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch The visual appearance of the two buildings is impressive—the facades feature locally sourced larch wood elements. The facade of the town hall has been constructed using staggered, vertically projecting modules with photovoltaic cells and high-quality thermal insulation. Story-high glazed facade elements are used to optimize the intake of daylight. The facade of the circular day nursery building features narrow strips of vertical timber cladding and large openings with balcony doors, as well as an access balcony at second floor level. The openings have been placed to provide daylight and vistas to the outside while also offering direct access to the building.  Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch  View into the green courtyard of the town hall with skylights, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch The new Freiburg Town Hall is the first net-surplusenergy building of this category worldwide. The building will generate more energy than it uses throughout the year; excess energy is fed into the city’s mains network. In accordance with the strict criteria of the PassivHaus standard, the primary energy demand of the town hall for heating, cooling, ventilation, and hot water supply is as low as 45 kWh per square meter per year—which is only forty percent of the primary energy demand of comparable modern office buildings.  Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch  The new construction of the first phase of the town hall extension Freiburg is the first public net plus energy building of this type and use worldwide, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch A special effort has been made to apply the principle of sustainability to the building as well as to the energy concept. The design relies on straightforward technical solutions that are economical to operate. The thermal energy required for the building is generated via suction and injection wells and thermal solar panels in combination with heat pumps, while electric energy is generated by photovoltaic panels on the roof and in the facade. The energy for cooling and heating is obtained from a geothermal installation. In addition, thermal mass activation is used for heating, which can be individually controlled in each office. The mechanical ventilation has been enhanced by highly efficient heat recovery.  The circular new construction of the nursery for about 90 children with characteristic arcade, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch  Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch The room climate concept for the offices involves thermal mass activation, heating/cooling sails, external solar screening, triple-glazing, and mechanical background ventilation with heat recovery, which are all part of the energy-saving concept. In addition, users have the benefit of openable ventilation panels which they can use to manually control the room climate by letting in fresh air. In the public areas of the citizens’ service center, restaurant, and conference area, the more complex air-conditioning requirements are met with heating and cooling ceiling systems and a partial air-conditioning system with highly efficient heat recovery.  Characteristic façade made of local larch wood, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch  Characteristic façade made of local larch wood, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch New ways of working in the citizens’ service center The citizens’ service center with its 100 employees offers citizens general and advisory services. All offices and workplaces have been designed for functionality, openness, and working in a flat hierarchy, whilst providing privacy and security. Overall, the spaces appear generous and flowing thanks to their rounded shape, and ensure easy orientation. Large rooflights provide plenty of daylight and offer good vistas to the outside. The downlights in the white perforated ceiling panels have been arranged in seemingly random fashion to create the impression of a “star-studded night sky”. The advisory points are subdivided into four large rotundas, each of their centers being formed by a circular retreat room. The layout of the segmental arch-shaped desks follows a concentric pattern, with vertical acoustic panels used as dividers. To create privacy between adjoining advisory points, 160 cm high visual screens are installed that replicate the round design pattern of the rotundas. A piece of wall art by the Berlin artist Schirin Kretschmann in the midst of the spatial arrangement forms an omnipresent element and the “spine” of the space. Bright materials and surfaces underscore the impression of transparency and clarity; occasional color accents appear within the orange/red spectrum, particularly in the furniture design.  Façade-integrated photovoltaic cells as a contribution to the energy supply of the building, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch  Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects / HG Esch About ingenhoven architects ingenhoven architects was founded in 1985 and is one of the practices pioneering sustainable architecture, having won numerous competitions and awards. Using the term supergreen®, ingenhoven architects pursues a comprehensive sustainability concept. The practice develops and builds projects of any size and typology in almost all parts of the world—all in accordance with the highest green building standards such as those of LEED, Green Star, BREEAM, DGNB, and CASBEE. In 1997, the practice achieved international recognition with the RWE tower in Essen, one of the world’s first ecological high-rise buildings. Since 1997 ingenhoven architects has been designing the Stuttgart 21 underground railway station. A number of award-winning highrise building projects were completed in Singapore, Japan, and Australia. At its head office at Düsseldorf’s port, the practice employs about 90 architects, draftsmen, and model builders of 20 nationalities. In addition, the practice maintains international branches in Zurich, Sydney, Singapore, and Santa Clara (CA).  Ground floorplan, Image Courtesy © ingenhoven architects
Contact ingenhoven architects
Tags: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany Categories: Building, Conference Center, Nursery, Offices, Restaurant, Town Hall |
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
email
Facebook
Twitter
RSS Feed
