Biomimetic pavilions for the Bundesgartenschau 2019
BUGA Wood Pavilion and BUGA Fibre Pavilion, Heilbronn, Germany
The Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart have developed two highly innovative, biologically inspired pavilions for the 2019 Bundesgartenschau in Heilbronn. Both are unique, light-weight structures that are fully computationally designed and robotically fabricated. They showcase the broad impact of digital technologies on future construction and architecture through two very different materials: wood and fibre composites. The two pavilions are centrally located on the summer island of the Bundesgartenschau Heilbronn 2019. They embody and architecturally express the strength of innovation typical for the State of Baden-Württemberg, which has been an internationally recognized centre for lightweight constructions, biomimetics, and the development of digital technologies in architecture for several decades.
BUGA Wood Pavilion
The BUGA Wood Pavilion celebrates a new approach to digital timber construction. Its segmented wood shell is based on biological principles found in the plate skeleton of sea urchins, which have been studied by the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart for almost a decade. As part of the project, a robotic manufacturing platform was developed for the automated assembly and milling of the pavilion’s 376 bespoke hollow wood segments. This fabrication process ensures that all segments fit together with sub-millimetre precision like a big, three-dimensional puzzle. The stunning wooden roof spans 30 meters over one of BUGA’s main event and concert venues, using a minimum amount of material while also generating a unique architectural space.
>>Buga Wood Pavilion project page
BUGA Fibre Pavilion
Embedded in the wavelike landscape of the Bundesgartenschau grounds, the BUGA Fibre Pavilion offers visitors an astounding architectural experience and a glimpse of future construction. It builds on many years of biomimetic research in architecture at the University of Stuttgart. The pavilion demonstrates how combining cutting-edge computational technologies with constructional principles found in nature enables the development of truly novel and genuinely digital building system. The pavilion’s load-bearing structure is robotically produced from advanced fibre composites only. This globally unique structure is not only highly effective and exceptionally lightweight, but it also provides a distinctive yet authentic architectural expression and an extraordinary spatial experience.