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Art and Music School Wuppertal
The design from the Wuppertal students also demonstrates a desire to combine the latest building technology with the existing architectural heritage, to preserve old facades and to fill interiors with new life. The idea is to preserve the charm of an old factory building, which has remained empty since 1990, while transforming it into an Art and Music School with its diverse requirements. The design is characterised by inserted boxes that subdivide the building.
How the judges assessed it:
“The open-plan concept envisages that special uses will be housed in the glass boxes, which can be individually ventilated. The photovoltaic system planned for the roof meets approximately 70% of the electricity requirements for the building services technology. The daylight provision for the inserted boxes needs to be examined as a result of the multiple glass levels. The lightness and transparency of the “second skin” shown in the courtyard view is desirable but needs to be examined in terms of the dead and wind loads. We would recommend that a closer look is taken at the design of the external space in the courtyard as part of the further development of the work to optimise the overall quality of the ensemble.”
Building concept
The Art and Music School requires a mixture of large, long and small rooms. The design concept is characterised by inserted boxes that subdivide the large spaces. The boxes have different sizes in accordance with their use. The five-storey school is accessed via the existing thoroughfare. Students and visitors are first of all directed off the street into the inner courtyard. From the terrace, the entrance area of the Art and Music School is accessed via a roofed over, single-glazed curtain of glass that stands proud of the existing building. The foyer can be used as an event space (dance bar) during the evening. From the ground floor, two main stairwells and an ancillary stairwell, which also act as emergency stairwells, link the entire building. The first to third floors are essentially identical in design. An open circulation space runs between the two main stairwells. In the new, additional fourth floor, a generously sized, column-free event space has been created with a roof terrace that, with its unique position along the overhead railway, can be hired out for a diverse range of events or performances. A bar in box form is also available and provides access to another roof terrace.
Energy concept
The clinker brick facade, which is a characteristic feature of Wuppertal, shall be preserved as an architectural monument. For this reason the building is being thermally insulated on the inside with calcium silicate panels that allow diffusion and capillary conduction. The disadvantage of the relatively high thermal conductivity is offset by the “forgiving” moisture behaviour typical of old buildings. The existing window glazing will be removed and replaced with triple glazing. Since the building is not listed as a historic monument, the fourth floor will be removed and replaced with a steel-glass structure to enhance the attractiveness and identity of the Art and Music School. Vacuum glazing will be installed in the top floor. The vacuum enables double glazing with a narrower thickness and a lower weight to achieve the same U-value as triple glazing. In order to generate electricity, a solar power system will be installed horizontally across the entire roof. This will meet around 70% of the annual electricity requirements. District heating from a CHP plant will be used to heat the Art and Music School, whereby the entire building will be heated with industrially looking ribbed radiators on the outer walls.