Aalen University Extension / MGF Architekten

Façade covered by wood

The clearly compositions attract attention to the facades who are textured with numerous vertical lines. Made in larch, the wooden shutters create a deep, changing surface; a game between visual transparency und closeness. It takes 90 seconds to open the shutters and the transparent facade appears. Depending on the position of the louvers the building look like a box of wood or a glass object. 2420 revolving shutters cover about 4500 sqm of the main facades. Due to the modular grid of 60 cm the design enables a flexible partitioning of rooms.

Technique

Basically the main facade is split into three levels of function. The room-high glass facade covers the long sides of the buildings. Prefabricated wooden post-and-rail construction with a modular grid of 60 cm includes double glazing which provides the thermal isolation. The ventilated cavity between the glass facade and the wooden sunscreen is used as service space. On the galvanised steel substructure the wooden shutters are fixated. Because of its self-supporting system only the horizontal forces are lead to the concrete construction. The rotating shutters are individually mechanical operated.