University Campus – Cafeteria, Heilbronn, Germany

University Campus – Cafeteria
University Campus – Cafeteria

A green hill lies between the central campus square and the tall lecture halls. It is divided diagonally and has a terrace for outdoor dining. A curved staircase leads down to the cafeteria, which is also connected to the assembly hall of the university via a tunnel.
The actual common visitors' area is in the basement, but nevertheless receives so much daylight that artificial lighting is not necessary during daytime.

The design and size of the glazed façade in the entrance area, located above the lounge area, was precisely determined to reach the daylight autonomy due to Transsolar's daylight consulting. Same holds true for the courtyard façade, which also allows natural ventilation. Studies during the design planning phase showed the shading effect of the neighboring buildings on the glazed façade. This not only proved which design would ideally provide the underground restaurant with daylight but also indicated the necessity of a variable shading system on the deep courtyard and entrance façade. The daylight openings for the kitchen underground as well as the office areas were also determined with this method; their size now meets the requirements of the applicable code.

Transsolar also carried out extensive thermal simulations taking into account the complex geometry and examined the office and common visitors' area for their comfort. This has shown that the office needs cooling in addition to fresh air supply and that good thermal comfort in the cafeteria can be guaranteed in summer only by shading the façades. A displacement ventilation system ensures the supply of fresh air. The slab heating and cooling ensures thermal comfort, supplied by the existing local heating and cooling network. A special feature of this district heating is its primary energy factor, which is rated zero.

2023 Hugo Häring Auszeichnung, BDA Heilbronn-Franken