Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen, Lake Konstanz
Archaeology meets innovative timber construction
Archaeology meets innovative timber construction
Verein für Pfahlbau- und Heimatkunde e. V.
a+r Architekten, Stuttgart
Merz Kley Partner Ingenieure
HLS planning: IWA Ingenieur GmbH, Überlingen
IB Schwarz, Ravensburg
Kuhn Decker Architekten und Ingenieure, Sindelfingen
Holzbau Amann GmbH, Weilheim
3
Yes
Museum
approx. 1300 m²
approx. 1,400 m²
1,530 m²
October 2022 to June 2024
20 June 2024
The museum, which has been in existence since 1922, focuses on communicating the world cultural heritage – the vision of a contemporary visitor centre for the oldest archaeological open-air museum in Germany. It is an investment in the future for the non-profit pile-dwelling association with around 700 members, which was decided for with the aim of making the pile dwellings on Lake Constance suitable for the climate, extending the visitor´s season and presenting the cultural heritage to the general public in a modern way.
In a sensitive environment between water, shore and historical reconstructions of prehistoric settlements classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a + r architects from Stuttgart and Tübingen developed a contemporary interpretation of the prehistoric construction method for a modern, sustainable building that blends respectfully into the cultural landscape.
The new building was erected as a complete timber construction on a pile frame, deliberately alluding to the historical pile dwellings. The load-bearing structures, exterior walls and roof are largely made of regional silver fir. The constructive timber protection strategy is innovative: thanks to large roof overhangs and detailed prefabrication, the timber construction remains optimally protected without chemical treatment. The building is designed as a reversible system – materials can be dismantled and reused without leaving any residue.
Apart from the foundation slab, the museum is a purely timber construction. The interior is characterised by a series of under-tensioned frame structures made of glulam. Lignotrend block elements (9 cm thick and acoustically effective, thanks to the absorber layer integrated into the roof element) were used as the roof construction on the outside of the frame structure.
The visitor gallery made of cross-laminated timber is suspended from this spectacular roof structure on thin white steel rods. It floats freely above the ground floor, so to speak, and allows a high degree of flexibility, constantly offering new angles and perspectives on the exhibition.
The large span of the supporting structure and the suspension of the gallery level from the roof structure create an almost column-free exhibition hall.
The one-sided retraction in the west of the floor plan over the entire long side and the asymmetry of the entire building mean that there is not a single piece of wood in the structure that resembles another. Just like in the old days, when people laboriously made everything by hand. The exhibition hall tapers towards the two gable ends, causing the open roof structure to twist. The individuality in the shape and angle of each girder was achieved by digitalising the entire process, from planning to the construction site, resulting in a high degree of prefabrication. This shortened the construction time enormously. In this way, the main supporting structure was completely assembled within 4 weeks.
The design for the new building by a+r Architekten from Stuttgart won the first prize in an architecture competition in 2018. The architects were inspired by the shape of an upturned dugout canoe, which is reflected in the striking roof shape of the building.
The project was honoured in the ‘Exemplary Construction Lake Constance District 2018–2024’ competition. This award recognises outstanding construction projects in the region.
The award recognises institutions that are particularly committed to accessibility and inclusion. The Unteruhldingen Lake Dwelling Museum received the award for its comprehensive measures to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. These include barrier-free ramps, widened entrances and a wheelchair-accessible tour of the open-air museum.
The main building (existing) with annex and extension were built in solid construction.
The annex and the extension have green roofs, the main building has a roof with metal cladding.
The new building has a skeleton structure of steel columns and steel girders or a timber supporting structure, while the ancillary rooms are built as reinforced concrete structures. The steel components will be fire-retardant coated or clad, the timber structure will be fire-retardant dimensioned by the structural engineer. A rear-ventilated timber façade with larch wood squared timbers is planned; the squared timbers are continued on the roof for design reasons.
The fire protection concept takes into account the exposed location and the requirements of a public museum.
Sufficient emergency exits are available for the building complex. The permitted escape route lengths are adhered to
The fire protection concept is based on fire-retardant load-bearing and bracing walls and columns in storeys.
Load-bearing and bracing components in attics do not have to fulfil any special requirements, as no common rooms are possible above them.
In the case of the showroom under consideration here, the deviation application concerned the following fire resistance duration of the supporting structure. The fire simulation was used to prove that during the simulation period of 35 minutes there would be no full fire that would that would stress the supporting structure (flashover).
The requirements of the Assembly Centre Directive were implemented with regard to smoke extraction. To verify this, sensors were distributed in the storeys at a height of 1.8 m above fire-resistant components, which record these criteria as a function of time.
The following measures are required to fulfil the described protection target:
The solid timber elements were dimensioned in such a way that they retain their static function even as the fire progresses. Concealed fire protection panelling and intelligent component layering secure escape and rescue routes add to the technical measures taken. In addition, early fire detection systems were integrated to effectively protect visitors and exhibits.
A special, tried-and-tested acoustic concept was used for the new exhibition hall and the event rooms. The open roof truss was fitted with acoustically optimised wooden soffits, Lignotrend roof elements with integrated absorbers in the roof and wall areas. This significantly improves speech intelligibility during guided tours as well as room quietness during events – despite the open, wide-span wooden architecture.
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