For a building site in a woodland clearing, the client sought a concept that thematically addressed living with nature through a direct relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces. Even in the shade of the woods, he wanted to live without artificial light during the day and to experience the changing times of day and seasons inside the house. In addition, the house should also make eco-
nomic sense in terms of energy savings. The floor plan was positioned between the trees in such a way that no tree worth preserving had to be felled. A glazed shed roof above the central circulation spine provides light for the internal areas, and, by means of solar heat gain during the winter, contributes to the heating of the house. The north-facing external walls are solid for the most part, whereas the south-facing walls are generously glazed. The house is based on a steel frame grid of 1.80 x 1.80 metres with rectangular hollow structural steel columns and open web joists. The steel decking resting on the joists is left
unclad. The client sees the house as an open structure which ought not to be ‘completed’ but further developed in stages. During construction, the client was personally involved in the building process.
To blend in with the farms of the region, the sewage treatment plant is made up of individual sheds grouped around a yard, and, like a farm, is inserted as a kind of island into the landscape. In spite of this the technical function of the cluster of sheds is still recognizable. All of the shed buildings are designed as simple volumes with a coherent appearance. Yet they serve different functions and vary in terms of the number of storeys and even in their structural material. The intake building is made of concrete, whereas all the other sheds are built of steel. All the buildings use frame systems to ensure flexibility for the various functions and to equip them for changes of function in the future. A two-storey section of the operations building houses functions such as staff rooms, cafeteria, laboratories, controls, and administration; a one-and-a-half storey section holds the sludge dehydration and sludge-drying operations.
Reflecting the technical character of this complex, all the sheds are, despite their different functions, clad in coated aluminium, as well as enamelled metal and glass panels, and form an ensemble with the processing towers and silos.
Four years ago, the first Constructa-Prize was awarded. The goal of this award program was and is to increase public awareness of current industrial architecture, and to encourage personal design commitment among all those participating in the construction of industrial buildings.
