Museum in Heilbronn

Schlaich Bergermann Partner – Germany

Building use

Other

Country/Region

Germany

Overview

The Experimenta Science Center extension is the most recent addition to a pre-existing museum in Heilbroon, Germany. The design architects Sauerbruch Hutton created a building composed of 5 pentagonal floors, unevenly stacked one on top of the other so to create a continuous flux open on a central spiraling atrium.

Basic information (construction date, number of stories, gross floor area, adopted design code, engineer(s), Contractor(s), etc.)

Construction date: 2015-2019
Number of stories: 5
Gross floor area: 17,720m2
Adopted design code: –
Engineer(s): Schlaich Bergermann Partner
Contractor(s): Spannverbund Gesellschaft fur Verbundtrager GmbH

Issue and/or innovation

The support structure of the Experimenta Science Center in Heilbronn is characterised by floor-to-ceiling steel trusses, a central concrete core and 7 composite megacolumns that support the perimeter trusses. The goal of the design is to provide unobstructed column-free space inside the museum and a continuous path from the bottom to the top through the spiraling void and communication system inside (staircases and escalators).

Reason for composite solution

For the main structural system, the goal was to obtain as little vertical supports as possible so to create a “floating” geometry. The goal was achieved by using only 7 composite columns that support the floor-high trusses where these are not supported by the truss of the floor below. Composite solution is also used for the floor assembly, the main goal of the construction system was to fabricate the floors and cast the concrete without interfering with the floor below, thus with a self-supported solution on the 3m distance between one beam and the next one.

Specific solution/technical details

The composite columns are characterized by a continuous change of shape, to adapt at the different conditions whether they are freestanding or part of the vertical element of a truss. The circular portions are made with a steel pipe made of S355 steel, with 20mm of thickness and 711mm of diameter (or variations with 558, 508 or 406,4 mm of diameter. The boxy parts (square or with an irregular shape) are made with welded plates of the same S355 Steel and 20mm of thickness. Inside the column, the continuity of the loads is provided by a central solid core made of a cylinder of 200mm of S355 steel, distanced from the perimetral confinement element by means of steel distancers. The empty space is filled with concrete that works compositely thanks to further rebars (not shown in the drawings) and by means on confinement. For the composite floors, the assembly was created using 1.5mm thick decks, cut to size on the construction site thanks to their modular width of only 60cm that allowed easy maneuverability by one single worker.