wulf architekten
Canteen and media centre, Darmstadt
best architects 23
education buildings
Place
Darmstadt, Germany
Studio
Photos
Brigida González
Description
The new building for the canteen and media centre is
designed as a freestanding two-storey volume with a square footprint. Located
in the immediate vicinity of the newly restructured Vocational School Centre
North, it defines the entrance onto the campus. With its load-bearing structure
of timber, folded glass façades, and cladding of perforated black corrugated
metal, the canteen has an open and elegant appearance. A cafeteria and the
media centre as well as seminar and office rooms for the adult education centre
are located on the ground floor. A sculpturally curved stair in the centre of
the building leads to the upper floor, which contains the canteen with its
serving area and a dining hall that can accommodate around 300 guests. The support
structure shapes the spatial impression of the interior, consisting of an
orthogonal grid of glulam beams. This 3x3-metre grid establishes the basic
module for the overall structural concept. Each module is associated with a
seating group that comprises a table and six chairs as a reference size. This
creates an area that fosters communication and has a dining room character. The
entire geometry of the floor plan is rotated by 45 degrees in relation to the
building edges, resulting in the serrated contour. The material concept – with
wood, exposed concrete, glass and metallic surfaces – generates an upscale and
pleasant atmosphere throughout. Wrap-around balconies offer additional seating
outside.