Robotically woven fibers to build a facade. Texoversum Innovation Center
22/12/2023.
[Reutlingen] Germany
metalocus, ADELA BONAS
metalocus, ADELA BONAS
The Texoversum building is the result of the work carried out by the team led by Allmannwappner with the collaboration of Menges Scheffler Architekten and the development of the façade with Jan Knippers Ingenieure.
Located in the city of Reutlingen, a city in Baden-Württemberg, in southern Germany, Texoversum forms part of the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences campus expansion and contains offices, workshops, a university store, collaboration areas, and a CNC robot workspace.
Located in the city of Reutlingen, a city in Baden-Württemberg, in southern Germany, Texoversum forms part of the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences campus expansion and contains offices, workshops, a university store, collaboration areas, and a CNC robot workspace.
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez
Site plan. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Ground floor plan. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Ground floor plan +0.5. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Basement floor plan. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
First floor plan. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
0.5 First floor plan. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Second floor plan. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
0.5 Second floor plan . Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Third floor plan. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Roof floor plan. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Section. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Longitudinal elevation. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Side elevation. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Diagram. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Section and elevation façade. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Section and interior elevation façade. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Façade elements. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Diagram. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Diagram. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Model. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Façade elementsl. Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner.
Allmannwappner, Menges Scheffler Architekten and an Knippers Ingenieure designed and developed a web of glass and carbon fibers to envelop Texoversum, the first building of its kind with a woven carbon fiber and glass pieces facade. A university building for textiles that shows in its façade the research of the University of Stuttgart, with a big experience developing interest biomimetic pavilions for the Bundesgartenschau horticultural show, in Germany.
The concrete interior of Texoversum has a split level. A central atrium separates the building into two halves, with each side separated in height by a half-floor level. It has an industrial internal appearance with an exposed concrete structure and ceiling ductwork and an open-plan layout to encourage collaborative working.
Façade is composed of five types of triangular panels measuring approximately four meters in width and 1.5 meters in height, each made by a robotic winding process developed at the University of Stuttgart.
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez.
Manufactured by FibR GmbH, the web-like panels are made from white glass fibres overlayed with black carbon fibres that add structural support. According to Menges Scheffler, as the production is bespoke, no production waste or material off-cuts were produced.
The robotic winding process used for the facade has previously been used in designs for pavilions including the Elytra Filament Pavilion at London's V&A museum and the BUGA Wood Pavilion at the Bundesgartenschau horticultural show in Germany.
The concrete interior of Texoversum has a split level. A central atrium separates the building into two halves, with each side separated in height by a half-floor level. It has an industrial internal appearance with an exposed concrete structure and ceiling ductwork and an open-plan layout to encourage collaborative working.
Façade is composed of five types of triangular panels measuring approximately four meters in width and 1.5 meters in height, each made by a robotic winding process developed at the University of Stuttgart.
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez.
Manufactured by FibR GmbH, the web-like panels are made from white glass fibres overlayed with black carbon fibres that add structural support. According to Menges Scheffler, as the production is bespoke, no production waste or material off-cuts were produced.
The robotic winding process used for the facade has previously been used in designs for pavilions including the Elytra Filament Pavilion at London's V&A museum and the BUGA Wood Pavilion at the Bundesgartenschau horticultural show in Germany.
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez.
Project description by allmannwappner + Menges Scheffler Architekten + Jan Knippers Ingenieure
The teaching, research, and innovation center for cross-cutting technologies in the textile industry known as the Texoversum was developed and constructed as part of the new campus expansion plan of the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences. It promises to become a powerful and highly expressive component of the built environment at the university.
Textile construction is the theme of the design both in function, with a weaving of different disciplines and activities on the interior, and in form, with the representational woven exterior that makes the building so distinct. The first building of its kind with a façade of woven carbon and glass fiber tiles, the building stands as a symbol of the future potential of innovative fiber-based materials and textile techniques. Using a robotic winding process, the individual tiles are tailor-made for their intended purpose.
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez.
Each tile is designed based on five templates and arranged to follow the path of the sun, creating a unique, multi-layered appearance. All of the tiles are self-supporting and do not require a separate load-bearing frame. The staggered arrangement of the tiles provides unobstructed views of the surroundings. In addition to meeting the demands for sun and fall protection as well as other practical functions, the façade is also aesthetically and symbolically engaging.
The central elements of transparency and interconnectedness visible in the architectural design continue in the structural design. Inside, the Texoversum has an open, transparent, split-level layout. The stories are staggered at half-level intervals and woven together visually in the atrium, which connects the various sections while also forming a spatial continuum that culminates in a spacious roof terrace. There is a distinctly industrial character to the interior design with finished as well as unfinished concrete features and technical ceilings with exposed ductwork. The open-plan layout provides a collaborative work environment for a variety of user groups as well as a stimulating platform for knowledge sharing.
Texoversum textiles building for the Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences by allmannwappner. Photograph by Brigida Gonzalez.
The use of color inside accentuates the flexible, neutral nature of the structure and connects the split levels spatially. A continuous color gradient shows the promise of color-printed textiles and references historic Gobelin tapestries. Whereas the woven façade with its intentional openings offers views of the surroundings from the inside, the cutouts give viewers outside an informal, postcard-shaped glimpse of the working world within the Texoversum.
More information
Architects
Architect building.- Allmann Sattler Wappner Architekten GmbH, Munich.
Architect fibre composite facade.- Menges Scheffler Architekten PartG mbh, Frankfurt.
Structural design fibre composite facade.- Jan Knippers Ingenieure, Stuttgart.
Architect fibre composite facade.- Menges Scheffler Architekten PartG mbh, Frankfurt.
Structural design fibre composite facade.- Jan Knippers Ingenieure, Stuttgart.
Project team
- Team Allmannwappner Competition.- Philipp Vogeley (Lead), Valerio Calavetta (Project manager), Timm Traxler.
- Team Menges Scheffler Architekten Realization.- Moritz Münzenmaier, Jiangpeng Chen, Eva Menges, Achim Menges (Lead).
- Team Menges Scheffler Architekten Competition.- Niccolò Dambrosio, Christoph Zechmeister, Achim Menges (Lead).
- Team Jan Knippers Ingenieure.- Riccardo La Magna.
Object Planning Secondary Façade.- Menges Scheffler Architekten PartG mbB.
Structural Planning Secondary Façade.- Jan Knippers Ingenieure.
Structural Planning Buildings.- bwp Burggraf + Reiminger GmbH.
Colour Space.- Timm Traxler, Juae Kim, Maurizio Maggi, Simon Köppl, Roswitha Allmann.
- Team Menges Scheffler Architekten Realization.- Moritz Münzenmaier, Jiangpeng Chen, Eva Menges, Achim Menges (Lead).
- Team Menges Scheffler Architekten Competition.- Niccolò Dambrosio, Christoph Zechmeister, Achim Menges (Lead).
- Team Jan Knippers Ingenieure.- Riccardo La Magna.
Object Planning Secondary Façade.- Menges Scheffler Architekten PartG mbB.
Structural Planning Secondary Façade.- Jan Knippers Ingenieure.
Structural Planning Buildings.- bwp Burggraf + Reiminger GmbH.
Colour Space.- Timm Traxler, Juae Kim, Maurizio Maggi, Simon Köppl, Roswitha Allmann.
Collaborators
Structural engineering.- bwp Burggraf + Reiminger Beratende Ingenieure GmbH, München.
Project management.- Sebastian Thomas. Kubus 360 GmbH, Stuttgart.
Fire proofing.- hhpberlin, München.
Energy technology.- Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH, München.
Building physics.- Müller - BBM GmbH, Planegg.
Production.- FibR GmbH, Kernen.
Landscape Design.- Glück Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH.
Project management.- Sebastian Thomas. Kubus 360 GmbH, Stuttgart.
Fire proofing.- hhpberlin, München.
Energy technology.- Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH, München.
Building physics.- Müller - BBM GmbH, Planegg.
Production.- FibR GmbH, Kernen.
Landscape Design.- Glück Landschaftsarchitektur GmbH.
Client
Südwesttextil e.V. Stuttgart.
Area
Gross floor area.- 4112 m².
Dates
Advisory process.- 2019, 1st prize.
Completion.- 2023.
Completion.- 2023.
Location
Alteburgstraße 150, 72762 Reutlingen, Germany.
Photography
Rendering
Grauwald Studio.
Markus Allmann, Amandus Samsøe Sattler. allmannwappner
allmannwappner is an architecture studio founded by architect Markus Allmann and Amandus Samsøe Sattler in 1987 in Munich. In 1993 Ludwig Wappner joined as a partner. Until the end of 2021, the office operated under the name Allmann Sattler Wappner Architekten GmbH. Amandus Samsøe Sattler retired from the Executive Board at the end of 2021 and remained a partner until the end of 2022.
His work is multifaceted and he has received numerous awards and recognitions. Each of the projects enters into a contextual dialogue with its spatial circumstances. In the creation process, seeking positions that are based on both aesthetic sensibility and rational and precise structures, and that test design conventions.
With specialists from all relevant disciplines, they ensure the success of excellent architecture at every stage of its creation, in order to develop a distinctive solution within the agreed project framework with the best possibilities. Many more intervene in its genesis: planning partners, clients, institutions and users. Openness and mutual appreciation characterize our cooperation.
His work is multifaceted and he has received numerous awards and recognitions. Each of the projects enters into a contextual dialogue with its spatial circumstances. In the creation process, seeking positions that are based on both aesthetic sensibility and rational and precise structures, and that test design conventions.
With specialists from all relevant disciplines, they ensure the success of excellent architecture at every stage of its creation, in order to develop a distinctive solution within the agreed project framework with the best possibilities. Many more intervene in its genesis: planning partners, clients, institutions and users. Openness and mutual appreciation characterize our cooperation.
Jan Knippers
Jan Knippers is a consulting engineer and has headed the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart since 2000. He is particularly interested in innovative and resource-efficient load-bearing structures at the interface between research, development and practice.
In 2001, he co-founded and co-managed “Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering” for many years, with offices most recently in Stuttgart, Berlin and New York. His key projects from this time are the EXPO Axis in Shanghai, the Thematic Pavilion in Yeosu, South Korea, and most recently the Gallery of the State Opera in Berlin, completed in 2017. Since 2018, he would like to focus on innovative projects, which he personally accompanies from concept to completion, and has founded “Jan Knippers Ingenieure” in Stuttgart for this purpose. The technical focus is currently mainly on wood and fiber composite structures.
From 2014 to 2019, Jan Knippers was spokesperson for the DFG Collaborative Research Center TRR 141 “Biological Design and Integrative Structures”, of the Universities of Stuttgart, Tübingen and Freiburg. At the University of Stuttgart, he was Vice Rector for Research from 2019 to 2021 and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning from 2021 to 2023. Since 2019, he has been deputy speaker of the DFG Cluster of Excellence 2120 “Integrative Design and Construction for Architecture”. He is also the German representative on the European Standards Committee CEN/TC 250 “Fibre Reinforced Polymers”.
Jan Knippers is the author of several books and scentific publications, gives numerous lectures in Germany and abroad, and volunteers in various forms on juries, advisory boards, and foundations.
In 2001, he co-founded and co-managed “Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering” for many years, with offices most recently in Stuttgart, Berlin and New York. His key projects from this time are the EXPO Axis in Shanghai, the Thematic Pavilion in Yeosu, South Korea, and most recently the Gallery of the State Opera in Berlin, completed in 2017. Since 2018, he would like to focus on innovative projects, which he personally accompanies from concept to completion, and has founded “Jan Knippers Ingenieure” in Stuttgart for this purpose. The technical focus is currently mainly on wood and fiber composite structures.
From 2014 to 2019, Jan Knippers was spokesperson for the DFG Collaborative Research Center TRR 141 “Biological Design and Integrative Structures”, of the Universities of Stuttgart, Tübingen and Freiburg. At the University of Stuttgart, he was Vice Rector for Research from 2019 to 2021 and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning from 2021 to 2023. Since 2019, he has been deputy speaker of the DFG Cluster of Excellence 2120 “Integrative Design and Construction for Architecture”. He is also the German representative on the European Standards Committee CEN/TC 250 “Fibre Reinforced Polymers”.
Jan Knippers is the author of several books and scentific publications, gives numerous lectures in Germany and abroad, and volunteers in various forms on juries, advisory boards, and foundations.
Eva Menges, Achim Menges, Brigitte Scheffler, Ernst Ulrich Scheffler. Menges Scheffler Architekten
Menges Scheffler Architekten is an architecture studio founded by architects Eva Menges, Achim Menges, Brigitte Scheffler and Ernst Ulrich Scheffler in 2016 in Frankfurt, Germany.
