POHL Architekten

A building in the former city center of Weimar owned by Weimar brewery was converted into the data center of the University and the Faculty media. The stock is under monument protection and occurs much as four-storey building in brickwork in appearance, elaborately decorated on the Brauhausgasse, on the courtyard side of the brewery area simple and functional.

The courtyard facade was given a new, a second skin. Before the existing brick facade that should be preserved in their grown up over decades of patina, a glass facade was completed. The old brick facade of the courtyard was roughly cleaned by building remnants, old installation parts for machinery, hoists were left thus the former use of the building remains readable and tangible. The space between the old brick facade and new glass facade takes on the new main entrance of the building, the main stairwell, emergency stairwell and elevator are presented. Media house was spatially remain inside the existing support structures and experience of the conversion effort is reduced. The history of the house is respected and remains visible in structure and in details.

Supplemented by external development the interior of the house with old pillars of steel and capitals, vaulted ceilings and hanging truss construction of the roof could be obtained. The upstream glass climatic buffer with its delicacy and transparency has positive influence on the building energy, since less heat loss in the spring, autumn and winter in the user cost savings to result. The glass skin attached consisting of fixed-glazed areas and glass louvers for ventilation and is standing on a 'resolved' steel construction. Insulation glass prevents excessive heating of the air in the intermediate region. The facade acts as a solar chimney facade, which is heated exclusively by the heat from the server room.