The new design for an existing storage center in Heidelberg, Germany attempts to take an existing boring cylindrical tower and turn it into a knowledge center, tourist attraction, and symbol of the transition towards renewables.
The Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) won a competition that sought a design for an energy park and accompanying energy storage tower. The tower will replace a gas storage tank with a water tank. Wind and solar energy harvested on site will heat the water, which will then be sold.
The new tower, which will be one of the tallest buildings in Heidelberg, is a multi-layered façade structure inspired by the geometries of nature. An inner shell colored in different shades of blue wraps around the building. Tilted elliptical rings are positioned around the cylinder and continue in the outer façade with “energy loops” that circle the structure all the way to the top. A cable network between the steel rings forms the outer façade layer.
Rendering courtesy of LAVA.
The building will receive its striking appearance courtesy of 11,000 diamond-shaped plates made of thin stainless steel. These plates are hooked with a connection system to a steel network that allows them to twist up to 45 degrees in the wind, which makes the building appear to move and fluctuate with the sun and wind.
Visitors to the new tower will enter through an elliptical entrance level where two elevators take them up to the roof, which comprises staggered terraces, event spaces, and a bistro. The roof can also be reached via a spiral staircase that travels around the outside of the tower.
Rendering courtesy of LAVA.
The building has recently broken ground and will rise 56 meters with a diameter of 26 meters. The accompanying energy park site will occupy 10,000 sm. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2019.
Rendering courtesy of LAVA.
Related Stories
Sustainability | Nov 1, 2023
Tool identifies financial incentives for decarbonizing heavy industry, transportation projects
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has released a tool to identify financial incentives to help developers, industrial companies, and investors find financial incentives for heavy industry and transport projects.
Sponsored | MFPRO+ Course | Oct 30, 2023
For the Multifamily Sector, Product Innovations Boost Design and Construction Success
This course covers emerging trends in exterior design and products/systems selection in the low- and mid-rise market-rate and luxury multifamily rental market. Topics include facade design, cladding material trends, fenestration trends/innovations, indoor/outdoor connection, and rooftop spaces.
Resiliency | Oct 19, 2023
Jacksonville unveils 50-year strategy for resiliency to flooding, extreme heat, wildfires
The City of Jacksonville, Fla., recently released plans for Resilient Jacksonville, a 50-year resiliency strategy to reduce the risks from flooding, hurricanes, excessive heat, and wildfires, and to respond better to those events. The plan includes ways to stop the St. Johns River from flooding vulnerable neighborhoods, including those prone to flooding during heavy rain or hurricanes.
Adaptive Reuse | Sep 19, 2023
Transforming shopping malls into 21st century neighborhoods
As we reimagine the antiquated shopping mall, Marc Asnis, AICP, Associate, Perkins&Will, details four first steps to consider.
Hotel Facilities | Sep 15, 2023
The next phase of sustainability in luxury hotels
The luxury hotel market has seen an increase in green-minded guests looking for opportunities to support businesses that are conscientious of the environment.
Resiliency | Sep 11, 2023
FEMA names first communities for targeted assistance on hazards resilience
FEMA recently unveiled the initial designation of 483 census tracts that will be eligible for increased federal support to boost resilience to natural hazards and extreme weather. The action was the result of bipartisan legislation, the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022. The law aims to help localities most at risk from the impacts of climate change to build resilience to natural hazards.
Metals | Sep 11, 2023
Best practices guide for air leakage testing for metal building systems released
The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) released a new guidebook, Metal Building Systems - Best Practices to Comply with Whole-Building Air Leakage Testing Requirements.
Office Buildings | Aug 31, 2023
About 11% of U.S. office buildings could be suitable for green office-to-residential conversions
A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper from researchers at New York University and Columbia Business School indicates that about 11% of U.S. office buildings may be suitable for conversion to green multifamily properties.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 23, 2023
Constructing multifamily housing buildings to Passive House standards can be done at cost parity
All-electric multi-family Passive House projects can be built at the same cost or close to the same cost as conventionally designed buildings, according to a report by the Passive House Network. The report included a survey of 45 multi-family Passive House buildings in New York and Massachusetts in recent years.
Regulations | Aug 23, 2023
Gas industry drops legal challenge to heat pump requirement in Washington building code
Gas and construction industry groups recently moved to dismiss a lawsuit they had filed to block new Washington state building codes that require heat pumps in new residential and commercial construction. The lawsuit contended that the codes harm the industry groups’ business, interfere with consumer energy choice, and don’t comply with federal law.
