Technikumshalle WKI Braunschweig

The new technical facility, Hall U, marks the entrance to the campus of the Fraunhofer Institutes WKI and IST. The building is being constructed as a timber structure. The research focus of the Institute for Wood Research is thus reflected in its building.

As the expansion possibilities for the Fraunhofer WKI on the campus are very limited, the institute has to make use of the potential expansion areas outside the main site along Riedenkamp street. The layout of the timber construction creates a new entrance to the campus without becoming the main building itself. Rather, it is recognisable as a supporting structure and refers to the main site.

The structure of the new technical centre, Hall U west of Riedenkamp Street, marks a clearly perceptible joint between the student union area, which is characterised by university use, and the Fraunhofer Institutes with high-rise buildings and a dense structure of research buildings and the low-rise terraced housing estate. The linear 1-3-storey building mediates between the mixed uses and different scales in a heterogeneous urban environment.
The elongated building block blends into the surroundings, which are characterised by large trees and residential buildings. The facades are structured by the rhythm of the columns on a 7.50 m grid. Vertical posts between the main load-bearing axes provide structure. Horizontal wooden lamellas between the posts close off the exterior walls. Both longitudinal facades reveal the symmetrical structure of the hall, with research equipment arranged along the edges and a central access point in the middle. The rhythm of the windows, which are arranged centrally between the supporting axes, clearly shows the sequence of individual devices and machines from the outside. The windows, with a parapet height of 1.10 m, allow employees to look out and provide views from the outside in from the parallel new Riedenkamp road. On the entrance side, there is a single-storey arcade that provides weather-protected access to the building. The south façade is characterised by a large sliding gate and large closed surfaces with wooden cladding. The exterior walls meet the high requirements for noise emissions in residential areas.