idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
The Cluster of Excellence for Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC) at the University of Stuttgart will be appearing at the State Garden Show with two future-oriented projects. The Wangen Tower and the Hybrid Flax Pavilion demonstrate the potential of bio-based materials in the field of sustainable architecture. Both designs were planned according to the latest findings in digitalization and lightweight construction research.
"The Wangen Tower and the Hybrid Flax Pavilion are the result of many years of research by the Cluster of Excellence. The buildings were constructed in cooperation with local companies. This will facilitate the exchange of knowledge between research and construction companies, with the goal of ecologically optimizing construction processes. In doing so, it lays crucial groundwork for the construction industry's transition towards sustainability," said Professor Achim Menges, spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC), at the opening ceremony of the Landesgartenschau in Wangen.
After ten months of planning, the Wangen Tower and the Hybrid Flax Pavilion were inaugurated on April 26, 2024. The integration of computer-based planning methods and digital manufacturing processes has enabled the creation of differentiated, resource-saving constructions that can be dismantled and reused. They demonstrate to visitors various ways in which bio-based materials facilitate innovative approaches to regenerative architecture. Both buildings are open for visitors to experience as part of the Landesgartenschau until October 6th, and will remain accessible on-site even after the exhibition concludes.
Hybrid Flax Pavilion: Resource-saving wood-natural fiber hybrid system
"This pavilion is the first building in the world to use natural fibers in this way. The snow load that the pavilion in Wangen has to bear is up to 360 kg/sqm, which is exceptionally high," says Professor Jan Knippers, Head of the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design at the University of Stuttgart.
The Hybrid Flax Pavilion is a central exhibition building at the Landesgartenshau, surrounded by the renaturalized River Argen. The pavilion is the first to showcase a hybrid construction of wood and natural fibers as an alternative to conventional construction methods. The pavilion, combines slender cross-laminated timber with robotically wound flax fibre bodies in a novel, resource-saving load-bearing system made of regional, bio-based building materials with a distinct local connection. Flax was historically processed in the local textile industry, whose old spinning mill site was renovated as part of the Landesgartenschau. The undulating roof, together with the circular floor plan and the centrally located climate garden, offers a space that merges seamlessly into the landscape.
Wangen Tower: Slender and efficient timber construction
With an impressive height of around 22 metres, the Wangen Tower offers breathtaking views over the Allgäu and the Alps. It is the world's first accessible tower to use curved cross-laminated timber components that self-shape as the wood shrinks. The tower's load bearing, spiraling timber structure offers a unique spatial experience and, with a material thickness of just 130 mm, represents a resource-saving and at the same time high-performance timber structure.
Detailed information on the Wangen Tower and the Hybrid Flax Pavilion as well as a collection of photos can be found on the project websites listed below.
Monika Göbel, Institute for Computational Design and Construction / Cluster of Excellence Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC), University of Stuttgart, Tel.: +49 711 685-81929, email: monika.goebel@icd.uni-stuttgart.de
https://www.intcdc.uni-stuttgart.de/de/
https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/hybrid-flax-pavilion/
https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/wangen-tower/
Hybrid Flax Pavilion and Wangen Turm in the background
ICD, ITKE, IntCDC
University of Stuttgart
The Wangen Tower at the Landesgartenschau in Wangen in the Allgäu.
ICD, ITKE, IntCDC
University of Stuttgart
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Hybrid Flax Pavilion and Wangen Turm in the background
ICD, ITKE, IntCDC
University of Stuttgart
The Wangen Tower at the Landesgartenschau in Wangen in the Allgäu.
ICD, ITKE, IntCDC
University of Stuttgart
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