2nd prize - Aachen Town Hall

Both structure and facade of the extension are based on a highly efficient prefabricated assembly in form of a modular timber-concrete construction. The fully integrated modular principle comprising unitized façade elements, timber columns, timber-concrete composite floor slabs and prefabricated concrete cores significantly reduce the construction time and in turn minimize the impact of noise and traffic on the adjacent urban areas.
The prefabricated unitized façade is characterized by generously glazed areas and the vertically movable sun-screening elements. Overall, the transparent part is approximately 50%, which contributes significantly to the reduction of solar gain making a low-tech energy concept possible. Due to the extensive use of timber, several tonnes of CO2 can be stored in the building. At the same time, the material properties of all essential building materials are utilized to their full benefit. The stored CO2 in the timber elements and the greatly reduced use of concrete significantly improve the overall environmental building balance.