When Chalabi architects & partners ZT GmbH designed the Science and Congress Centre in Darmstadt, their main goal was to create a building with a special landmark character. Between 2004 and 2007, the Vienna-based firm created “a central place for the exchange of new ideas and developments as well as scientific findings, for example, in the form of trade fairs, international congresses and meetings,” as Talik Chalabi describes it. At the same time, however, the “Darmstadtium” serves as a venue for concerts, receptions, cultural and other events.
The building’s direct contacts to the adjacent city centre and university campus are reflected in its interior structures. The new building comprises the congress centre above the ground as well as a two-storey underground car park. Its upper section is divided into several compact building parts. The centrally located foyer in the western section is surrounded by a two-storey seminar area as well as a small hall.
The big concert hall in the eastern part is enclosed by further foyers. The 1,800 square metre foyer area can be used for exhibitions. The most important element of the main foyer is a central light funnel that stretches beyond the underground car park into an underground duct and provides the lower storeys with daylight. The big hall seats a maximum of 1,600 people, but can be split for groups as required. Moreover, the Science and Congress Centre offers 18 conference and seminar rooms for a maximum of 200 people. Here, too, flexibility is key; the individual rooms can be combined as needed. The restaurant section with a terrace seating approximately 300 people and the directly connected Congress Hotel complements the science and congress centre, which is named after a heavy ion.
The learning curve for using the centre’s sanitary facilities is refreshingly low, as the faucets encourage intuitive operation. The Europlus E faucet from GROHE responds to the user reliably and automatically via an infrared beam, which means that only the required amount of water is supplied. The urinals operate according to the same principle, with the touch-free Tectron Skate actuations releasing the flushes automatically.
The excellent level of hygiene ensured by infra-red technology is highlighted by the large numbers of people visiting the Science and Congress Centre for hands-on experiences and personal meetings each day.
