Description

The Neue Messe Leipzig was conceived as a compact and extendable layout, which would be able to compete with the existing exhibition buildings and suitable for full or partial use. The design of the new entrance hall of Neue Messe Leipzig is a reference to the steel-and-glass engineering structures of the 19th century and even more elegant and complex. The 80 m wide and 243 m long central entrance hall with a rise of 30 m dominates and connects the exhibition buildings. It is linked via glazed bridges to four adjacent exhibition halls, the large hall, and the convention center, allowing for individual access to the different areas.

Despite its enormous dimensions, the core of the exhibition grounds is a lightweight structure. It consists of a vaulted lattice shell composed of steel tubes, based on a square module with a side length of 3.12 m. It is suspended from arched trussed girders spaced at 25 m, which serve as reinforcing members. The load-bearing system of the steel-and-glass hall including the reinforcing members is thus exposed; the façade’s glazed skin is suspended below. The gable-end façades are self-supporting since the glazed shell of the barrel-vault cannot withstand additional horizontal wind loads. In combination with adjustable glazed horizontal louvers the transparent skin of the building creates natural convection which regulates the interior climate all year round; only on cold winter days floor heat­ing and convectors have to be used. In order to prevent excessive solar gains, part of the glazing is equipped with a reflecting white solar protection enamel print. Additionally, cold water can be pumped through the floor heating system to provide cooling. Apart from the pleasant interior climate, rows of holly oaks and olive trees along both sides of the entrance hall make it a retreat zone in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the exhibitions.

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Originally published in: Jürgen Adam, Katharina Hausmann, Frank Jüttner, Industrial Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2004.