Future-Oriented Concepts on Campus: »Bauhaus Energy Hub« Experimental Building Celebrates Topping-Out Ceremony
Covering just under 10 square metres, the energy self-sufficient experimental building is a prime example of how architecture can be sustainably rethought and implemented. Following months of effort by students from various disciplines, the experimental building will celebrate its topping-out ceremony on Thursday, October 26, 2023, starting at 4 p.m. in the courtyard of Coudraystrasse 11 to 13. The building’s »Tiny House« concept will be presented in a relaxed event. Interested individuals and media are warmly invited to attend the event.
The »Bauhaus Energy Hub« boasts numerous innovative and inspiring solutions for buildings of the future. They rely on sustainably sourced materials for their constructions, including larch and spruce wood. The structural elements were connected using customised, very stable wood nails, meaning that no metal was needed for the interior of the building. The insulation is made of hemp, which can be sustainably grown in the region and is a traditional building material that is being used more and more often. The building relies heavily on energy supplied by photovoltaic and solar thermal sources. Installing and positioning these sources was no easy task as the inner courtyard at the Coudraystraße campus does not always receive the optimal amount of sunlight – it receives none at all during some periods of the year. This, however, is compensated for by precisely aligning the panels in calculated simulations.
In order to come up with appropriate solutions for the challenges posed, the students visited construction trade fairs and engaged in in-depth discussions with photovoltaic, solar thermal and wall heating/cooling manufacturers, which provided students with exciting insight into the professional world.
The chosen solutions have been installed and will be tested under living lab conditions in the »Bauhaus Energy Hub«. The building’s use is a deciding factor; foreseeable set-ups include an exhibition venue and a site for presentations or meetings. The data collected during operation will be compared with earlier simulations so that practical insights can be used in the future.
What are the next concrete steps? The detailed concept for the interior will be designed in the 2023/2024 winter semester. The objective. The interior should be designed so that it can be adapted for new uses as efficiently as possible. The expansion will be carried out in the 2024 summer semester. If all goes according to plan, the inauguration of the »Bauhaus Energy Hub« building will take place in July 2024 at the annual summaery exhibition.
The cross-semester planning and construction module was open to students from different faculties and degree programmes and is a prime example of how collaboration between disciplines enriches studies at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. Students from Architecture, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Management [Bau Immobilien Infrastruktur] (Management / Construction, Real Estate and Infrastructure) were involved in the project. It is particularly beneficial because it links theoretical principles to building practice. The project was made possible by its many participants and was led by staff from the Department of Building Physics in the Faculties of Civil Engineering and Architecture and Urbanism under the direction of Prof. Dr. Conrad Völker. The Departments of Construction Materials, Design and Building Construction, Urban Design, and Construction Design also supported the project.
»Bauhaus Energy Hub« Topping-Off Ceremony
Thursday, 26 October 2023, 4 pm
Inner Courtyard Coudraystraße 11-13
For further information, please contact Alexander Benz in the Department of Building Physics:
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar / Department of Building Physics
Alexander Benz M. Sc.
E-mail: alexander.benz[at]uni-weimar.de
Phone: +49 3643 584835
Find out more on the project’s website:
https://www.uni-weimar.de/de/bauingenieurwesen/professuren/bauphysik/lehre/lehrveranstaltungen/bauhaus-energy-hub/
Or find us on instagram:
www.instagram.com/bauhaus.hub
The »Bauhaus Energy Hub« has received internal funding from the Kreativfonds, the 23ideas Fund, and the Bauhaus.Module Fund. The project has received additional funding from product and service sponsors. The project would not have been possible without this support: Beck Beyond Fastening, Schüco, Edenlogic and the F.A. Finger Institute for Building Material Engineering.