B.A. Thesis
B.A. Thesis
Building the Gate to the University Campus.
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Task / Concept
The task of the thesis was to design a building that serves as an entrance to the new university grounds whilst accommodating a wide variety of functionalities. In order to shield the campus from the noise of the busy street, the building gained its elongated shape. The opaque front gives the bypasser a glimpse at the events inside the building whilst preserving the occupants privacy.
The pulled back glass facade emphasizes this idea. Putting the wooden construction on the outside of the building creates a second layer of the facade, creating a pattern which from a far approach will look closed, though opens as you pass the building. It also creates the illusion of an uninterrupted glass facade from the inside while revealing the wooden construction to specators.
The main entrance for pedestrians and users of public transport crosses a bridge which spans an open lower level. This pronounces the buildings function as an entrance to the campus. The lower level corresponds with the level of the river. Whilst early concepts considered a connection between the buildings lower level and the path along the river to refer to this connection, it has later been scrapped to stay within limits of the project guidelines.
Sustainability and Green Building
As the environment has always played a big role in my concepts, I have decided to go with a wooden construction. In addition, I implemented the thermal activation of structural elements. Not only does this help heat the building more efficiently, it also allows the building to be cooled in summer by rerouting the water loop through the soil.
While this technology is slowly making its way into concrete buildings, it is rarely seen in wooden buildings. My goal in this practise was to combine the CO2 efficiency of wooden buildings with the advantages of thermal activation. To assure the functionality of this system, I sat down with an architect specialized in this technology.
While the concrete is usually used as heat storage, wooden constructions rarely provide the required mass to use this technology. To make sure this is not the case in this building, the floors are made of glulam. Through the use of a dual system of solar panels and thermal collectors, the buiding is carbon negative, even in the years to come.
Page 2 Thesis
Page 3-6 Thesis
Exhibition Hall
The facade of the exhibition hall is covered in a metal net / grid. The idea is to create a wall which appears closed off from a greater distance whilst being see-through wiithin closer proximity. As the building is used to display f.e. art, the sunlight should not affect the artificial lighting to a greater degree. By facing the building towards the main building and away from the sun throughout the day and the late hours, this effect is amplified.
It also limits the view inside the building to spark the curiosity of the visitors while still showing of the trussed beams. Meanwhile, the people on the inside can see the public space in between the two buildings. This concept also corresponds with the main buildings facade idea, as well as the facade of the emergency exit on the end of the main building, which is covered in a similar material.
1st Floor
To interrupt the buildings length and separate the two main usages on the floor, the first story is split by a garden. It reflects the concept of the future campus (green center) whilst creating a meeting point for the two departments. Additional to this area, this floor has multiple access points to the rooftop garden.
B.A. Thesis
An overview of Page 2-6 of the A1 print version of my Bachelors Thesis. Those were used to present the Thesis to the grading professors.
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