Description

The building of the Institute for Information Technology and Electrical Engineering represents a building type that is quite average in terms of mechanical engineering and technical infrastructure compared to the facilities of biological/chemical institutes or similar disciplines. Hence, the planning of the extension of the Technical University on a site with no outstanding qualities focussed much more on urban design aspects. Simple residential architecture, a not very sightly high voltage transformer station, and very bland existing university buildings dominate the environment called Inffeldgründe. The architects have responded to this context by concentrating on the building site and a rigid grid – an open urban campus creating its own identity. The buildings have been restricted to a height of three storeys, which gives the layout a very human scale.

Based on a strictly orthogonal grid, the buildings generate a city within the city with streets and house fronts, squares and gates, passages and groups of trees. The architecture of the altogether eight exactly parallel volumes is governed by the strict organisation and the openness of the space. The first two of the overall four phases was completed in 2004.

The individual volumes are spaced at regular intervals of 6.00 m in east-west direction. The varying lengths of the individual rows result from the different programmes of the respective institutes. Every two rows are linked by a void. The offices, galleries, lifts and stairs orientated towards these voids face south; seminar rooms, libraries, and public areas face north. Since the buildings are mostly within the scope of mechanical engineering for normal office buildings (lines for heating and sanitation, electrical and data wiring) the programme does not include zones for technical building services. Supplementary or large central shafts are not required; no vertical or horizontal service lines have to be provided or reserved for future use. The strict layout of the buildings is loosened up by the ubiquitous bridges, corridors, galleries, and openings that link the buildings on all levels and create this interconnected, self-sufficient, and almost small town-like campus with its varied squares. The permeability of the structure can be felt particularly on the entire ground floor, the ”street” level.

The interior and exterior circulation concept sustains an urban structure which at every point reveals the functional and spatial pattern of the ”city within the city”. While the ground floor features a wide central access corridor, the two upper floors are connected by an atrium. Following the client’s explicit request, only the large lecture halls on the basement floor abandon the strict plan layout.

In contrast to many university facilities that accommodate individual institutes in separate buildings or building parts, here a dense yet permeable complex was built that is linked on all levels. It effortlessly enables the expansion and reduction of individual functional units without entailing complicated refurbishment. Flexibility is also reflected in the structural system composed of rows of columns behind the external walls and load-bearing walls in longitudinal and cross directions. This structural system creates an open plan providing additional flexibility, as partitions are either not required or can be installed if needed. However, the choice of the structural system was mainly steered by architectural considerations.

The architects considered concrete the ideal material to link the building parts both structurally and architecturally. The design idea was to highlight the urban configuration rather than the individual volumes themselves. Therefore, the concrete was designed to appear as rough as possible to create a consistent finish. To achieve this finish, recycled formwork boards were used. Some formwork boards were artificially worn out since used formwork was not available in sufficient quantities. Black pigments were added to the grey cement. The intended irregular finish was achieved almost automatically since the in-situ concrete was poured in three stages and the pigments were added on site. The interior façades also received the rough exposed concrete finish – however, without the black pigments. Consequently, the interior spaces appear much brighter and therefore more pleasant. To some degree, the interior appears even more unfinished than the exterior. Austere façades with horizontal strip windows bound the spaces. Little attention was given to the detailing and materials used – terrazzo, concrete, or simple galvanized steel for the doors – seem unfinished and were put together haphazardly to challenge aesthetical conventions.

An essential element of the intended homogeneity of materials and the characteristic colour scheme of shades of grey is the treatment of the exterior floor finishes. The buildings stand in a bed of pebbles, which is to become overgrown with moss at the corners and on the infrequently used areas. Circulation areas and paths can be chosen freely by pedestrians and will form naturally by frequent use and wear. Hence, every space defines a space between, and none is hermetically enclosed. This decomposition is also reflected by the vertical joints at the building edges and the façade pattern with the physical projection of the horizontal strip window. The window openings – two in height per floor – blur the scale of the buildings and conceal the levels behind. Structurally, this is achieved by a reinforced concrete skeleton and a 22 cm strong curtain wall made of concrete; this raw ”concrete curtain” disguises the floor levels. Different daylight conditions constantly and subtly change its colour.

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Originally published in: Hardo Braun, Dieter Grömling, Research and Technology Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2005.