Information Centre for Bionics Part 1 Project 2002 Florian SchrammMatthias BambuchNina LandauStefan SindlingerStefan ZemmerichClaire Harper University of Stuttgart | Germany Information Centre for Bionics, Rosensteinpark/Schloßgarten resort Stuttgart. The site is situated amidst a park in the green belt, near the centre of Stuttgart.Because of the special location of the site, attention had to be given to the integration of the building into the landscape as well as to the size of the building.The main part of the Design is a pedestal which includes a small exhibition hall and all side rooms. On top of it, a square comes into existence, from which one has access to the main exhibition hall inside a tall cube. The cube sits inside the pedestal and creates a circular passage on the square level. From this circular passage visitors of the park and the information centre are able to gain a view of the surroundings, or into the main exhibition hall. Thereby, a new, precious place is created at which one can stop for a rest. An additional café on the square level is open not only to visitors of the exhibition and provides indoor and outdoor tables.Another main part of the Design is a flat roof, a newly developed system made of steel modules opening the possibility to integrate the complete HVT-systems as well as the drainage, so the visitor can not detect them. Lamella on the roof, possibly supplied with solar cells, guarantee shelter from the sun. The base is cladded with metal lamellas, which can be individually adjusted and thus the light conditions inside can be controlled. The independently functioning, energy saving control of the indoor climate, similar to the human skin, as well as the integration in the module construction have been realized. In the academic year 2001/2002 the students attend our course "Building Construction II". This course is taught through lectures, exercises and project work. In groups of five the students here have to work on a project for a medium size building - in this case a " Information Centre for Bionics " - from preliminaries to working drawings and full scale details. At the same time they have to integrate the implications of structural and mechanical engineering, as well as the influence of environmental science taught in separate courses.The Project was to design a building of approx. 1000 sqm including:a multi-functional exhibition of approx. 450 sqm, column-free,a convention room of 150 sqm and additional spaces for functions like cafe, administration, workshop, HVT, etc. The challenge was to integrate the volume of the building into the surrounding landscape of a park in a sensitive manner.Since the site is sloping down, the integration of the main functions in a massive, partly lowered base, giving direct access to a large public terrace from the hill side, provided a clever solution.The square shaped roof, assembled of pre-fabricated metal elements containing all HVT- and day lightning systems, cantilevers and thus seems to hover above the pedestal, providing shadow to the all glass façade without any additional elements.The Design impresses by its simplicity, its sensitive approach to the architectural problems and the successful integration of function, structure and technology, and its degree of completion. It was far above the average to comparable project works of the same semester.