All institutions work, both individually and as part of a team, on the continuous development of the corresponding technologies and their application.įrom an urban planning point of view, the design deliberately avoids taking a purely additive approach.

The various users accommodated in the state-of-the-art energy efficiency centre are immediately associated with this subject matter: the energy and water utility company NEW with its department energy-related services, the University of Applied Sciences, Hochschule Niederrhein, with a variety of training, research and service facilities, the university library, as well as a start-up centre for innovative businesses in the energy sector. Low-resource technologies complement each other and determine the architecture of the zero emission building constructed according to Passive House standards in an unmistakable way. The aim was to focus on the visible use and not the didactical principles of energy. The NEW-Blauhaus building on the campus of Hochschule Niederrhein in Mönchengladbach perfectly connects these three elements with the result that several joint wishes could be fulfilled: an increase of cooperation between science and the energy industry, a strengthening of the location and the opportunity to make innovative energy technologies accessible to the public. Typology Education/service provider Constructed volume GFA 5,800m², GIV 20,995m³ Client NEW mobil & aktiv Mönchengladbach GmbH General contractor A.Frauenrath BauConcept GmbH Architect kadawittfeldarchitektur Occupant Hochschule Niederrhein and NEW Construction 2014-2015 Competition 1st prize 2013 Project management Mathias GaraninĬentral ideal: symbiosis of energy industry, science and public sectorįuture-oriented business and science institutions require an exchange of information among themselves and with the public. In addition to the rooms for the energy centre NEW, the Blauhaus building accommodates various educational and administrative institutions of Hochschule Niederrhein, the university library, the start-up centre “Blauschmiede” with offices for new business founders, as well as the energy laboratory “Innovatorium” for pupils and students. A window alongside the open stairway offers passersby a view into the energy centre of the zero emission building that meets Passive House standards. The special facade consisting of oppositely inclined, blue-tinged glass and photovoltaic elements has been designed to perfectly suit the orientation and incidence of solar radiation. The five-sided structure, a solitaire in the urban landscape, is clearly perceived as a new element at the university, which uses the large forecourt with the open stairway to link the city and the campus. NEW-BLAUHAUS, MÖNCHENGLADBACH | GERMANY The project, which is a cooperation between the energy and water utility company NEW and Hochschule Niederrhein, is designed to present innovative developments in the energy sector. BRIEF New build of a modern energy efficiency centre on the campus of Hochschule Niederrhein in Mönchengladbach | ADDED VALUE The low-resource energy generation system is displayed on the outside of the sculptural facade made of photovoltaic elements, thus giving the building an unmistakable character.

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