Miralles Tagliabue EMBT has been announced as the winner of a competition for the design of Artenoah, a biodiversity center in Rehau, Germany that will chronicle and serve that species-rich green belt along the border of Germany and the Czech Republic. Built into the forested highlands of the Neuhausen district, the masterplan consists of a series of thematic outdoors spaces and a central pavilion with an undulating form that allows it to blend into the surrounding landscape.
The building has been designed for ecological optimization, following the passive efficiencies strategies outlined by Socrates’ 2000-year-old ‘Sun House’ scheme. The compact structure is south-oriented and features a green roof that both integrates the building into the site and invites visitors to “climb up and discover the sculptural approach of the building.”
“On a site visit, we watched the birds directed by group intelligence, collecting a flock and overflowing the plateau of the site. We projected the lines of the birds’ movements on the agricultural site of the Wagnersberg and redrew them in our proposal,” explain the architects.
“Starting with these lines developments a complete concept of a building with outdoor spaces and achieve a complete integration into the landscape.”
Circulation through the site is described as a series of vignettes:
“After climbing up the hill, you will first meet the restaurant with the famous Franconian food, which offers views to the nature park Fictelgebirge from its terrace. From the foyer of the building, you will enter the exhibition area by crossing a kaleidoscope, introducing the visitors into a world of biodiversity.”
Supported by the city council and environmental institutions including the Federal Nature Conservation Agency, the project is expected to attract more than 80,000 visitors per year.
Construction is planned to begin in 2018.
News via EMBT
Architects
Location
Rehau, GermanyArchitect
Benedetta TagliabueProject Director
Stefan GreenDesign Team
Nil Corominas, Riccardo Radica, Fabrizio Tanchis, Gabriele RotelliEngineering & Sustainability
BOLLINGER+GROHMANClient
Municipality of Rehau (Germany)Area
81000.0 m2Photographs
Courtesy of EMBTArchitects
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