The Fraunhofer Institute Center (Fraunhofer IZS) in Stuttgart serves as one of the biggest research centers in Germany. Due to the center’s expansion, the cafeteria on the premises had to cater for four times as many people compared to its date of origin, which made a reconstruction necessary. Therefore, we tore down the complete main floor building and built a new cafeteria landscape, which formally detaches from the existing building because of its rounded corners. The cafeteria will also shape connecting footpaths that sometimes narrow and sometimes widen. The construction process took place while the building and the canteen above still operating. We built not only a modern looking, bigger cafeteria, but also a space for informal communication between staff. While the kitchen and side rooms could stay, we completely redesigned the output area and the delivery to maximize user friendliness as well as economic efficiency. Despite the cafeteria’s growth with many more seats and space, we managed to keep it a rather relaxing place by adding acoustical ceilings to minimize noise. They also have aesthetic value, which is created by their round shape and by hanging them in three different heights.
Stuttgart - Vaihingen
Germany
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft
02/2017
468 sq. m
SEHW Architektur GmbH
Hendrik Rieger, Jorge Gonzalez, Kay Frahm
SEHW Architektur GmbH
BKSi GmbH (structural engineering)
Curriculum
Stone or glass, box or blob, metal or wood, straight or round – these are not the considerations which motivate us, but rather the constant search for an answer to the questions of how people will live in the future and how we translate this creatively. SEHW was founded in 1996 and the brand consists of multiple internationally operating companies. Hendrik Rieger and Prof. Xaver Egger are the CEOs of SEHW Architektur GmbH in Berlin. In addition to genuine architecture services, SEHW is involved in general planning and project development. The company focusses on public buildings as well as offices, hotels and buildings for the real estate economy. Many SEHW projects have been awarded architectural prizes during the last years. Among others, SEHW’s educational buildings received the BUILD AWARD Best Educational Facility Design – Germany in 2017. In 2018 the Shared Living-project was awarded the AIT Award in the category “future living models”.