Bauhaus Museum Competition

Sphere

The “Bauhaus Sphere” is a pure shape lodged into the site as a representation of the impact of a cultural centre point. It is a container to harness the spirit of Weimar, its population, and the energy from the influx of students, tourists, artists and academics travelling to the city in search of inspiration. The bold scale of the gesture is in direct dialogue with the urban development of the National Socialists. The geometry has classicist, modernist, and contemporary precedence. By nature, the sphere is multi-directional, finding tangents in every context. It is forthright and provides ease of under- standing and simplicity in construction.

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Ripples

Resonating from the sphere are ‘ripples’ that undulate and create the landscaping around the building. These ripples are sensitive to the immediate context of the site by virtue of their varying scales. Some become seating or planting, water features or pools, lecture zones or play areas, and so on. These contextual aggregates have very specific features that are based on the needs of localized areas. The ripples are a fluid platform for social connectivity, engaging an enlightened village to spread ideas in the tradition of Goethe and the Bauhaus legacy.

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Energy

The “Bauhaus Sphere” is designed to target zero energy consumption while providing thermal comfort for all its users. Energy efficiency is maximized and energy demand is minimized for space heating in the winter and internal cooling in the summer. A high performance thermal en- velope and air tightness is achieved in the design ensuring that the internal energy is not leaked out and the external weather is controlled within the interior. Summer cooling is achieved by down-draft cooling of natural ventilation rather than high energy consumption of mechanical ventilation or air-conditioning. The entire upper hemisphere is a thermal mass to facilitate heat exchange and stack effect. The air intake at the lower hemisphere is heated or cooled by the encircling pool and then circulated around the building. Also, photovoltaic provide much of the energy supply for minimal mechanical ventilation, lighting and heat pump. Solar thermal is used for heating/cooling as well as hot water supply.