Wooden pavilion wins sustainability prize

December 2, 2019 / Hkom

The University of Stuttgart’s wooden pavilion, presented at the national garden show (BUGA), has been awarded the special prize for digitalization in the field “architecture” at the German Sustainability Awards 2019
[Picture: ICD/ITKE University of Stuttgart]

The BUGA wooden pavilion demonstrates a new approach to digital wooden construction. The segmented shell structure is based on the biological principles of sea urchin skeleton plates, which have been the subject of research at the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart for the past year. The project involved the development of a robot production platform for the automated assembly and the milling of the 376 customized segments of the pavilion. Using as little material as possible, the wooden roof spans 30 meters, covering the central concert and event hall of the BUGA, creating a unique architectural space. The BUGA wooden pavilion was awarded the sustainability prize in November 2019 in the category Digitalization (Architecture). The jury justification stated: “the digitally developed BUGA wooden pavilion is an excellent example of how digital technologies can improve the planning phase of complex production processes, simultaneously improving the sustainability of the project."

New video documentation: bionic pavilions at the National Garden Show 2019

Films have been also been developed for the two bionic pavilions by the institutes ICD and ITKE - BUGA Wooden Pavilion and BUGA Fiber Pavilion. The films detail the development process and construction in Heilbronn.

Film BUGA Wooden Pavilion, Bundesgartenschau Heilbronn 2019

Film BUGA Fiber Pavilion, Bundesgartenschau Heilbronn 2019

The supporting structure of the BUGA Fiber Pavilion is constructed entirely of fiber-reinforced composites, built using a robot-supported production process. This structure is the only one of its kind in the world and it is not only highly efficient and extraordinarily light, it also presents an unmistakable, authentic architectural and aunique spatial experience.

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