Zaha Hadid. Phaeno Science Centre

Case Study : Phaeno Science Center designed by Zaha Hadid

Figure 1: Phaeno Science Center, Wolfsburg, Germany

Wolfsburg, Germany

PREFACE Buildings embody cultural knowledge. They are testament to the will and forces that affect their conception, realization, use and experience. They bear cultural and professional significance and possess within them and their constituent components, important lessons for anyone wanting to discover what a work of architecture is in its larger context, what brought it about, and how it contributes. As Peter Parsons points out, “their forms and spaces are invested with traces of habitation and beliefs through the employment of materials wrought by craft and technology.” They are manifestos of habituated practice and progressive intentions, and range in their influence from reinforcing obsolete patterns and meanings at one extreme, to innovating and provoking yet unconsidered ones, at the other. The Rensselaer Case Studies project examines contemporary works of architects in relation to what influenced them, and seeks to expose innovations in thinking, technique and technology that contribute to architectural knowledge, scholarship and progress in contemporary practice. The project is designed to reveal the technological and cultural knowledge embedded within each selected project through questioning and analysis, probed through the dis- and re-assembly of drawing and modeling to discover the larger significance of the artifact, and how it came to be.

Rensselaer Case Studies Project Mark Mistur, AIA Associate Professor Emaan Farhoud Course Assistant

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture Troy, New York 2006

Henry Albin, Jenny Joe, Jay Young Professor Mark Mistur Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Fall 2006

Table of Contents: Introduction 1. Practice Architect Philosophy Major Works 2. Context Geographical Cultural Historical 3. Technology Structure + Building System Materials + Enclosures 4. Program and Performance 5. Innovations and Influence 6. Bibliography

Project Description :

Figure 1.1: Phaeno Science Center, Wolfsburg, Germany

The Phaeno Science Center (Figure 1.1) designed by Zaha Hadid is an unique building especially for Germany. The dynamicism of the form and structure keeps the visitors aware of the architecture. The Phaeno Science Center is located in a special site in Wolfsburg, acting as a link between the two sides of the city, which is separated by a canal. One side is the historical civic buildings and the other side is the new Volkswagen Autostadt which is the main tourist attraction within Wolfsburg.

open plaza spaces below the building. These axial openings are also creates visual movement under and past the building which dissolves the scale of the building, Even inside the building, in the exhibition spaces, the surface of the ground plan is one massive continuous surface that folds over and under itself creating an enclosed space. The cones do not appear to penetrate the planes but the two are merged together by the rounding of the edges to emphasis this continuity theme.

The building’s form is designed to be continuous. Th site itself is a rolling artificial landscape that merges into the cones, where Zaha continues to play with the idea of the “urban carpet” by extending it into the surface of the building. The base of the building are its large cones that lifts the monumental building above grade. These cones are separated by axial penetrations that creates

tures that had once dominated the practice.

Part 1. Practice

Upon being awarded the Diploma Prize in 1977, Hadid was asked to Join Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis at a new firm they had recently founded called Office of Metropolitan Architecture, or OMA. At this same time, she also taught with Koolhaas and Zenghelis at the Architectural Association until 1987. After only three years with OMA, Hadid left the firm and went out on her own. During the next several years, she taught at a variety of schools, held several exhibits of her work, and won a few Competitions, such as the Peak in Hong Kong, though her design was never built.

Architect Zaha Hadid is the most well known female architect of our time. She was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. Her father worked as an Industrialist and was a leading politician following the British mandate in 1958 when Iraq attempted to create a democracy. It was a very progressive time in Iraq, where tolerance was much more common than in recent years. Hadid, a Sunni Muslim, went to a convent for schooling, where there was not just diversity in the students; Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim, Jewish, and Christian girls, but the nuns had diverse nationalities as well (Icon, June 2003).

Her painting was a large part of her work (Figures 1.2 and 1.3), and unfortunately it also was fairly

often misunderstood, which left few people who took her work seriously at that time. During her time in school, she was inspired by Russian Constructivists, such as Malevich, which began her down her own path to her style of painting and its importance in her architectural work. Like le Corbusier, but perhaps with a more direct correlation, Hadid uses her paintings as explorations and intentions of her building and its connection to its surroundings. Before computers became common architectural tools, and there were no digital 3d modelers really out there, her artwork was one of the few ways to explore a building in 3 dimensions, the “Three-dimensionality” of it, not simply plan and section. (Architectural Design, 73) After the Peak Competition, Zaha

After getting her undergraduate degree in Mathematics at the American University of Beirut, Hadid traveled to London and studied at the Architectural Association under teachers such as Rem Koolhaas, Elia Zenghelis, Daniel Libeskind and Bernard Tschumi. It was a time of near architectural upheaval as the concepts which had once rigidly defined architecture were being unwoven by a new era of architect. This atmosphere deeply influenced Zaha’s approach to architecture and moving away from the stric-

Figure 1.2: Painting of The Peak, Hong Kong

lowing year saw the completion of her Hoenheim Tram station and car park in Strasbourg France and the Ski Jump in Austria was completed in 2002. That same year she won a competition for the BMW Central Plant in Germany. The Rosenthal Arts Centre opened in 2003, and in 2005 both the BMW Central Plant in Leipzig and The Phaeno Science Centre of Wolfsburg, Germany were completed (Figure 1.4).

Philosophy Figure 1.3: Painting of Contemporary Art Center, Cinncinnati

began her own firm, with around 15 people. In recent years, because of the demand that has grown for her work, that number has swelled to 50 or 60 people. Many of those are Interns or young architects. Hadid is known to have a chaotic

(Icon, June 2003)

personality when it comes to her employee; getting very emotional over small things and actually firing people, only to call them up within a day and offer them their jobs again. Her treatment of her staff has been considered harsh by some. She often criticizes the lack of drawing ability in newer architects, specifically being an issue as her paintings (which are not done solely by her, but with many others helping) as they are such a large part of her work. Her office is currently being housed in a school building which they are quickly growing out of.

Bay Opera House in Wales. Controversy soon followed however, and amid accusations of prejudice, the project was cancelled and a Rugby Stadium was elected to be built instead. Despite this setback, Hadid continued forward and in 1998, she won the competition for the Rosenthal Centre of Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, which is considered one of her greatest buildings. In 1999 she won a competition for a Ski Jump in Innsbruck Austria, and in 2000 she won the competition for the Wolfsburg Science Center in Germany. The fol-

For Hadid, It is important to have a connection between education and professions. She feels that education does have a major impact in the architectural scene, not immediately, but in a couple years because it is where one learns to create ideas. She sees that the ideas that they had as students and the designs they do were usually

Her breakthrough into architecture began with the Vitra Fire Station in Germany in 1993. It was her first major built project. In 1994 she won a competition for the Cardiff

are more societally challenging at that time, but they will come to use during one’s profession when the society becomes more accepting. Hadid believes that it is important to invest in education for this very reason. At her office, the focus of her work is to create ideas. The reason for this thinking is because of her experience from her time at the Architectural Association where their program pushes the edge on designs of new styles of programs, material, and structure. At the AA, Hadid could concentrate more about design and ideas because it was mainly about learning and

Figure 1.4: Timeline of Zaha Hadid’s Education and Major Works

developing. Hadid wasn’t worried if her buildings she designed there would be translated into a real building. But even now in her own firm, she isn’t worried about if the building could be built, their main focal point is to develop ideas. The process of designing in her office is not always the same. It was once done through sketching but now “the process has changed because of digitization. But either by hand or by computer, sketching, modeling, and planning were all done simultaneously where they work back and forth between the different methods of their design process. With more advanced technologies of computers, one can output faster rather than drawing multiple sketches of different designs or perspectives. Also computers help advance the development of manufacturing and research of new things. But she believes the downside of computers is that there is a less of an understanding of how people view the project and there is a lost of feeling. “People had lost faith in modern ideas,” Hadid has stated. At the beginning, her general idea of design was to challenge the conventional designs of architecture. Her exploration and expansion of modernism was rough in the beginning because it was hard for people to understand her designs because the way she displayed them was not like a presentation, but ideas. At the beginning, they started to do learn how to draw, how to do pro-

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Figure 1.5: Zaha Hadid

jections, how to do presentations, and how to do models mainly as research. The way she explored modern design were through drawings, painting, and modeling, displaying distortion and projection. When modeling, they study space and transparencies but then it started to influence on the real design of the work they developed.

architects who were always afraid to be the pioneer. Another way that she has changed architecture is at its roots; she made institutions think about how they should teach

and organization of the programs. She pushes context, programming, landscaping and structure past beyond modernism.

students architecture, from production to design, from “modernism” to post-modernism.

To Hadid, the context is an important part of design and one can interpret context in different ways. One can do more than designing a building as an object on the site, but design it as a field and actually reflect back influences and feeling back into the context. By designing as a field within the context, “the field implied you reorganized the whole context.”

Zaha Hadid stated, “Architecture, in a good way, can restructure society.” She believes that one can redesign society in a positive way through architecture by how it affects people based on the design. Many of her buildings are seen as defying gravity. But conceptually, her designs attempts to defy rule of typical traditional architecture, trying to create new styles of space, form, and structure away from the ordinary.

Hadid has changed the architec-

She has said that for her work, “it is important that it is very recognizable,” and “it is very important to always challenge the topic.” Zaha

tural scene with her extremely modernist designs. Since the beginning of her works, her designs create new architectural feeling, visually and experientially. Even though she lacked support of her style, she consistently pressured society with many of her competition. Even though she had won competitions, because the judges appreciated her enthusiasm of her contemporary style, many of the designs were not built because society rejected them. But Hadid kept of designing in the same way, pushing society into acceptance of change which eventually sparked other

tries to reinvent the concepts of general designs. She felt that there was an alternative to conservative designs, typical designs, mass production, etc. She wanted to change the typology rather than repeating designs and make each building different because since the site is different, the design should be too. She wanted to make her designs unique, creating new formal languages and how people experience and move through it which is done through spatial organization. Hadid’s designs are influenced by the context and urban context of how it relates through connections

Through her projections, drawings, and paintings, she tests out how buildings are orientated and what experiences are invoked. They mostly display ideas perceiving space, movement, perspectival space; all these are perceptions of the ideas of the mind. The designs of spaces of her work usually have concepts of distortion, deformation, narrowness, expansion, and compression of space. She says that, “public buildings are canvases to try out these ideas.” Most of her projects are public buildings; Hadid believes that in public designs, there is freedom of openness. In her designs, she creates relationships between the program and the public where the public spaces become an entity of a building. She values topography and landscape, where her buildings are less static and structured. By doing this, a building is seen as a landscape where is the spatial 11

experience is ambiguous and not linear. Hadid’s designs aren’t centered solely around topographies and landscaping but it is taken account of at the same time when designing the rest of a building like structure and program to truly express the idea of landscaping. Through landscaping, she attempts to create multiple public spaces connecting to the context and to the different layers of spaces of the building. Even her ideas of structure are involved in landscaping to create large open public spaces and nonrepetition opposing mass-production. The structure is a major part of the design and is not hidden. It accentuates the formalism of spatial experiences by creating feelings, like openness or lightness. One inhabits the structure and there is no boundary between structure and the skin. (Planet Architecture, 2003)

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Major Works

Vitra Fire Station Weil Am Rhein, Germany, 1990-94 The Vitra Fire Station (Figure 1.6) in Weil Am Rhein, Germany was a project to build a fire station on the north-east section of the Vitra furniture factory complex. Programs in this project includes a boundary wall, bicycle shed and other minor programs. The site has the large factory build-

ings while the project is only on a small area in it. Zaha Hadid saw

dustrial building located where program was needed. These punctures

the site as a zone within the industrial site which is 500 meters long.

are orientated in the movement of the fire engines which are perpendicular to the wall. This design allows an interesting view and scene to people walking through and next to the building where it expresses motion of readiness. The form represents the typical actions of fire station during needed time, ready and alert to calls of duties.

She designed the fire station at the edge of this zone where it transforms into a landscape representing a piece of furniture in a room, in extremely large scale. The main design is a series of layering of screen walls where each space intersects the walls of the in-

Figure 1.6: Vitra Fire Station

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LFone Weil am Rhein, Germany, 1997-1999

Zaha Hadid designed the LFone (Figures 1.7-1.12) in Weil am Rhein, Germany as an integrated architectural building. Its program is designed for events and exhibitions, providing space for both while its architecture formally is merged with the land around it. Its formal concept was a to create an architectural design that topographically connects with the ground with fluid geometry using a system of paths that wind through and around the building.

Figure 1.7: LFone

Many different spaces are created from these paths, creating intersections where specific public programs are placed like the exhibition, cafe, etc. There is also a center for environmental research which is partly underground which connects to the but still being open to the exhibition hall and other public spaces.

Figure 1.8: LFone

Figure 1.9: LFone

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Figure 1.10: LFone Interior

Figure 1.11: Painting of LFone

Figure 1.12: Painting of LFone

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Car Park and Terminus Hoenheim-Nord Strasbourg, France, 19992001

The Car Park and Terminus in Hoenheim-Nord Strasbourg (Figures 1.13-1.17), France was designed as a tramstation and car park for a tram line. The architectural design concept is overlapping fields and lines of spaces that weave together creating a total whole. The system of fields represent movements of cars, trams, and people where the form is inter-merged with the surrounding landscape and context of the site.

Figure 1.13: Hoenheim-Nord Terminus

The main importance is to create a well organized circulation space that link the different use programs together which was done by using lights in the floor, furniture, and cieling from openings. The architectural design is created to become a link between a to-be planned train station to be built in the north and the new tram station.


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Figure 1.15: Renderings of Hoenheim-Nord Terminus


Figure 1.17: Aerial view of Hoenheim-Nord Terminus

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Bergisel Ski Jump Innsbruck, Austria, 19992002

Zaha Hadid designed the Bergisel Ski Jump (Figures 1.18-1.19) as a part of the refurbish project of the Olymic Arena in Innsbruck, Austria. This ski jump replaced a older ski jump which didnt meet international standards anymore so it needed to be redesigned. Figure 1.18: Bergisel Ski Jump

This ski jump became a large landmark in Innsbruck due to its special programmic design which holds sports facilities and public spaces like cafes. Its formal shape is special where Zaha Hadid intergrated the shape of the ski jump and the slope of the mountain into the buiding. Materialistically, there is also a connection between the buiding and the ramp where the ramp and the cafe are of structural steel.

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Figure 1.18: Renderings and drawings of the Bergisel Ski Jump

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Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, 1999-2003

The Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art (Figures 1.20-1.24) required program spaces for an education facility, offices, art preparation areas, a museum store, a performance theater, and public spaces. The lobby is leveled with the sidewalk where there is a connection with the outside and the inside from the material used, the glass glazing and the concrete continutiy of the sidewalk and the interior floor. There is a sense of movement for the people entering the building because of the concrete connection which also pulls them vertically due to the continuous rolling surface of the ground to the wall where the vertical circulation is located to the

Figure 1.20: Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art

exhibition spaces which Zaha Hadid calls the “Urban Carpet.” This carpet is also the main concept of the structural system in the building. The exhibition spaces are of different sizes of cubes to accommodate different exhibits of contemporary art. Each space is a solid and void where the space within could be altered to allow flexibility in needed space and arangement of artworks. (El Corquis, 166-173).

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Figure 1.21: Rendering of the Rosenthal Center

Figure 1.22: Painting of Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art

Figure 1.23: Painting of Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art Figure 1.24: Studies of Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art

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Central Building - BMW Plant Leipzig, Germany, 20022005

Zaha Hadid designed the Central Building of the BMW Plant in Leipzig, Germany. This Central Building is the center of the whole factory complex where in connects all the activities and other programs together where it is all branched out from this center. This center creates movement and circulation of the whole complex where it accommidates the movements of the workers and visitors and also the cycle of the car factory.

Figure 1.25: Center Building - BMW Plant

The three main production stages, body, paint shop, and assembly are organized around the center. The movements physically and visually go through this center, allowing a connection between different programs and different people. Zaha Hadid organized the spaces with a transition of public to busy. The facade strategy is to pull the envelope under the top floor which is diagonal to the plan. The car drop off is located at this area where in goes under the diagonal projection where the visitors can easily view.

(Kiser, 1).

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Part 2. Context

Figure 2.1: Symbol of Wolfsburg The official logo of the city

The city of Wolfsburg is most well known for the Volkswagen factory (Figure 2.4). It is the only planned urban development in Germany during 20th century (Figure 2.1). Wolfsburg has its origin going back to pre-WWII era. Under Nazi government, the Kraft durch Freude, translating to “strength through joy”, which was a state-controlled leisure program for the masses, began in 1933. Under the KdF program, Hitler envisioned a new car, affordable for the people. Collaborating with designer Ferdinand Porsche, The orginal KdF-wagen became a propaganda for the national socialistic motorization campaign (Figure 2.2). In 1938 The city of Wolfsburg was chosen as the location to house KdF-wagen facotries. “The location of the city was not chosen because

Wolfsburg, Germany Wolfsburg is located about 70 km east of Hannover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is near what was once the border between West and East Germany, which were reunitfied in 1990. Germany itself lies in Central Europe, with the northern end bordering the North Sea. While compartivelly to the United States, it lies northward, past the Canadian border, its climate is temperate, with neither very hot nor very cold parts of the year. Wolfsburg, which is located in Northern Germany, has a climate where rainfall occurs year round. The weather is fairly vaired, and winds are primarily westerly. 24

of the resources, like the location of Lebenstedt. For the first time a city was planned and founded just to give the employees of a gigantic new automobile factory a home”. Back then the population was 1,100, all of whom were related to the factory.

Figure 2.2: Volkswagen First model of Volkswagen, 1938

KdF-wagen created a coupon program so people in the KdF program could afford a car, it took 200 coupons to receive one. However, because of the breakout of WWII, the factory began to produce military vehicles such as jeeps and aircrafts instead, mostly by forced workers and POWs. The coupons would not be used and no one received cars until after the war. During wartime, the KdF factory was a primary target of Allied forces and was bombed. The city was taken by the Allies and renamed in 1945 to Wolfsburg. The name was borrowed from the local castle built in 1300 named “Wolfsburg”. The original castle has been rebuilt in 1600, and the new castle still stands today, (Figure 2.5). After the end of the war, refugees and people looking for work flooded to Wolfsburg, the population in 1945 grew to 19,000 from the original 1,100 in 1938, and that number grew to 38,000 in 1954, thus housing remained a critical is-

You should be able to continue on from here, Adding pages will continue on with the page numbering. The main text is Arial size 8 with a 12pt spacing. The titles are in Verdana size 8 with a 12 pt spacing.

If you have any questions let me know. Figure 2.4: VW factory, Wolfsburg The city of Wolfsburg and the VW company remains closely associated with eachother

sue well into the 1950’s. The named KdF-wagen was changed to Volkswagen, meaning “people’s car”, and the company was turned over to German government in 1949.

Figure 2.5: Castle of Wolfsburg The castle which Wolfsburg was named after. First build in 1300’s and rebuilt in the 1600’s

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During the early Iron Curtain Era, Wolfsburg tried to create a new cultural and social infrastructure. “Numerous schools, sports and playing fields, and swimming pools, as well as 26 new churches, were evidence of the enormous efforts made in those years (Figure 2.6). By the early 1960’s, Porschestraße, the main street in the city, is almost entirely lined with buildings” (Schneider). Financially supported by the VW company, first cultural projects were constructed, they were the Congress Centre building and the Culture Centre, designed by Alvar Aalto (Figure 2.9). Even so, during this Era Wolfsburg was mostly forgotten, and largely ignored or bypassed by people. It was a corridor city in East Germany, sitting along the main road to Berlin (Figure 2.8), yet most it received very few visitors. Wolfsburg reached a population peak of 131,000 in 1972. The main focus since has been to generate urban life and a city center in the relatively quite, suburban city (Figure 2.7). Between the Cultural Center and the theater, a Museum of Modern Art and Town Hall extension was built, by architect Peter Schweger between 1989 – 1994. “The self-confident body of the museum constitutes a landmark on the southern edge of the city axis, adding a new dimension to the inner city” (Schneider). With the beginning of globalization in the 90’s, Wolfsburg also tries to transform into a “center of global services and leisure amenities” (Schneider). Its

Figure 2.8: Map of West and East Germany Wolfsburg was located on the border of West and East Germany, and served as a gateway to west Berlin

major step was the partnership of Volkswagen with the City of Wolfsburg, setting up structural changes to lower unemployment, attract business start-ups, and focusing on entertainment and leisure amenities. Thus the well-being of Wolfsburg and VW are still closely connected.

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Dealing with the lack of culture and attraction, in 1996, VW built the Autostadt (Figures 2.10-2.18) in the north of Wolfsburg, just east of the factories. “It was the EXPO event in nearby Hanover that induced Volkswagen AG to build the Autostadt” (Schneider). The Autostadt complex is a center for entertainment, auto-history museums persenting the company’s cars, has become an extremely successful tourist attraction, The 750 million dollar project combines innovative works from “internationally renowned artists, architects, film makers, photographers, video and computer specialists” (Schneider). A new city bridge was built to connect the city to the Autostadt on the north side of the canal, extending the Porschestraße (main street) axis beyond its northern end at the railway station, “thus lifting the strict division of city and factory and opening part of the factory premises permanently to the public” (Schneider).

Figure 2.9: Wolfsburg Cultural Center, Alvar Aalto, 1962

Figure 2.10: The Autosdadt 1) Entrance Building. 2) Car Museum. 3) Bently Museum. 4) Lamborghini Museum. 5) Skoda Museum. 6) Seat Museum. 7) Audi Museum. 8) VW Museum 9) Customer Center . 10) Driving Course. 11) Auto Trume. 12) Ritz-Carlton Hotel. 13) Office. 14) City Bridge. connecting over to Phaeno and downtown Wolfsburg

Figure 2.11: Seat Museum Seat models

Museum that houses

Figure 2.12: Customer Center Visitor Center at Night

Figure 2.13: Entrance Building View of the Entrance Building from across the canal

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Figure 2.14: The VW Museum Museum that houses VW models

Figure 2.16: Auto Trume World’s largest car vending machine

Figure 2.17: Auto Trume Interior View

Figure 2.15: The Car Museum Nightime view with the VW factory in the background

Figure 2.18: Audi Museum Museum that houses Audi models

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In 1998 the original railway station was converted into an ICE stop (Figure 2.19), “its forecourt adopted a new significance: it is now, next to being the link to the Autostadt, the essential gate to the City” (Schneider). At first the city planned an art museum for the site, However Dr. Wolfgang Guthardt, (Figure 2.20), the City Director of Culture at the time felt that the institution would compete with the existing Art Mueseum. It was then that Guthardt visited Technorama, the Swiss science museum, (figure 2.21). He was convinced that an innovative science center in Wolfsburg would complement both Autostadt and the existing Kunst Museum, epecially since no such center exists in Germany at the time. (He is now the first executive director of the science center).

Figure 2.19: Phaeno Science Center View of Phaeno Science Center’s Northen Facade, from the ICE highspeed-train tracks.

An international architecture competition was held to design the new Phaeno Science Center, the project would have to highlight the railway as a means of transportation and would become a significant cultural component to the city. “Zaha Hadid’s prizewinning design elevates the entire exhibition floor to a height of 6.5 meters, thus generating an urban area underneath the discshaped building as an interactive link to the city centre and is going to mark an urban place at the heart of an intersection” (Schneider), see photo of Phaeno - (Figure 2.22). With the Autostadt Complex and now the new Phaeno Science Center, Wolfsburg is finally creating cultural identity and transforming

Figure 2.20: Dr. Wolfgang Guthardt First executive director of Phaeno Sicence Center, and the ex-city-directior for Culture, Sports and Education.

Figure 2.21: Technorama The Swiss Science Museum. Model for Phaeno Science Center

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the city into a visiting center offering cutting-edge services and contemporary leisure amenities. The Phaeno Science Center was built from the urban planning project by the City of Wolfsburg. City officials were planning to build a public attraction building on the land next to the VW building. They initially planned to build an art museum but then decided not to. They were mostly thinking about money, and how to make Wolfsburg a better town, how to make it a tourist town, and how to get people to go to Wolfsburg to feed its economy. They felt that another art museum in their town would be less profitable. They already have an art museum, the Kunst Museum and felt like they would be competing with each other.

Figure 2.22: Photo of Phaeno

The city officials got Ansel Associates to design and program the science exhibition as interactive scientific and artistic works. (See Figures 2.23-2.25.) A competition was held for the architectural design of the building, which Zaha Hadid had won. Zaha Hadid worked with Mayer Bahrle architects, her German associates on this project. These three worked together to create the Phaeno building as a sculpture but still providing space for the science artworks.

Figure 2.23: Preliminary sketch of exhibits in Phaeno by Ansel Inc.

Figure 2.24: Photo of exhibits in Phaeno.

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Vision

BRIDGE WOLF’S CASTLE

VW FACTORY AUTOSTADT CANAL I.C.E. RAIL & STATION PHAENO

VW FACTORY

FUTURE BLDNG BRIDGE

WOLF CASTLE

NB RID GE

AUTOSTADT

PHAENO I.C.E. RAIL WAY

PED AST

RIA

CANAL

CITY BLOCKS

CANAL

I.C.E. RAIL WAY

I.C.E. STATION

HES

TRA

SSE

CITY CENTER

RSC

The idea of integrating the existing bridge from the Autostadt to the city canal bank as a link between the VW and the city was originally presented by architect Petyer Koller in his original design for the city. Erecting a building here would create a central venue for public life. Dr. Wolfgang Guthardt who was then the city’s director for culture, sports, and education, was convinced that an innovative science center in Wolfsburg would complement both Autostadt and the existing Kunst Museum, epecially since no such center exists in Germany at the time. A science center would draw more tourists to the city in addition to the AUtostadt, and establish Wolfsburg as a cultural center.

Figure 2.25: Sketch by Ansel Inc. of an interior view of Phaeno.

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With the success of Autostadt in the north of Wolfsburg, the newly established ICE (high-speed train) stop along the northern canal, and the existing city axis, an empty piece of “triangle” shaped, land north of the city suddenly became significant (Figure 2.26). “It is now, next to being the link to the Autostadt, the essential gate to the City” (Schneider).

CITY OF WOLFSBURG

Figure 2.26: Map of Wolfsburg showing relationship between Phaeno Science Center, the Autostadt, and the City

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Zaha Hadid was one of the architects competed for the design of Phaeno. Her design for the building is themed around the idea of movement and continuity. The idea is represented in three aspects of the building: visual continuity, physical continuity, and surface continuity. Hadid’s vision for the building fulfills the connection between the Autostadt and the city by elevating the first floor. But the space is not completely open as there are 10 stuctural and progammatic cones interrupting the space. Thus she creates and idea of spatial translucency, allowing many different views and sightlines, as well as different bodily movement (Figures 2.27 and 2.28). The idea of movement is the obvious design intent in Zaha’s scheme. The N-S movement from Autostadt to the city, the E-W movement of the ICE train, the movement of the main street Porschestrasse, and other minor movements. Paths

Figure 2.27: Ground Floor emphasizing visual and physical connections

are accented in her desgin, one that runs through the open ground floor (Figure 2.29), the elongated ramp in the building, the connection to the pedastrian bridge right from the building, and many other minor ones.

Figure 2.28: Rendering of Phaeno Science Center emphasizing movement and connection to the site

Figure 2.29: Rendering of the Artificial landscape emphasizing movement and continuity

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Figure 2.30:

Figure 2.31: Building exgterior showing ground level ceiling morphing into structural cones as well as exterior wall.

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Diagram of design of cone shapes

Another major theme in Zaha’s design is the emphasis on surface continuity. The ceiling of the ground floor is made from diamond shaped waffle cone slab instead of square ones, most of which are filled in, but some are left hollow with lighting in them. This surface then wraps upwards, around a smoothed edge and transforms into the outer wall, which has a similar pattern of diamond shaped windows. This logic is carried out through her design. The 10 cones grows upwards, some morphing into floors, others into ceiling trusses. The actual floor surfaces too, often continues into walls (Figure 2.32). In general, the floor has smooth transitions instead of stopping or turning abruptly, following a logic of natural landscape, (Figure 2.33)

Figure 2.32: Exterior view showing similiarity between windows and the lights below


Figure 2.33: Floor treated as landscape

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The winning design for Phaeno Science Center was awarded in 2000 to Zaha Hadid. The construction of Phaeno began in March 2001, and the building opened on November 24th, 2005 (Figures 2.35-2.40) The architects involved included Zaha Hadid Ltd. & Mayer Baehrle, and Free Architect Federal Employers Association. The master planning and project management were carried out by New Ground Housing Company, whom was local to Wolfsburg. Structural design for the building were done by two companies, one was Adam Kara Taylor from London, and the other was Tokarz Frerichs Leipold from Hannover, whom was also involved in the construction of Autostadt. Building Equipment was provided by NEK Engineering, another local campany.

Figure 2.36: Construction Photo, December 03

Figure 2.40: Construction Photo, March 05

There were several companies involved in the interior equipment and set-up of the Phaeno Science Center. The advisor for experimentation stations and exhibition was Joe Ansel of Ansel Associates Inc. The design of programs including laboratories, idea forum, science theater as well as catering trade, shop, and administration was done by Rust + Sehle from Braunschweig. Furnishing planning was done by G + S + W architecture and Design, Munich Medium Equipments, and NEK Engineer Team. The scientific and didactical consultation were from Remo Besio, Switzerland, Ken Gorbey, New Zealand, Heinz Reese, Canada, Sir Richard Gregory, England, Colin Johnson, England, and Burkhard Vettin, Germany.

Figure 2.37: Construction Photo, February 04

Figure 2.38: Construction Photo, March 04

Figure 2.35: Construction Photo, September 03

Figure 2.39: Construction Photo, June 04

35

A big challenge for Zaha Hadid was working with Todd Blair, Matthias Ossmann, and Jorg Zander from Ansel Associates, where there were design conflicts of programmed spaces designed and what was needed.

Figure 2.41 Interior view of science demonstrations in the exhibition space.

Many science artworks were designed with a required amount of space due to the size and volume of these exhibits thus the architecture were altered to accommodate for the different exhibits. (Figures 2.41-2.43.) But also as Zaha Hadid changes her design of the building for structure and code issues, Ansel Associates were informed on the modifications to alter the exhibition planning of the science exhibits. ( http://www.anselinc.com)



36

37

Part 3. Technology

the main concourse level, only 5 of the cones punch through it as solids and continue up to the Roof. These 5 cones are the main components that the roof truss spans

appearance that they change form into the waffleslab itself and present a uniform surface. However, an imporant reason for this is to prevent punching shear of the waffle

Structural Systems

from and carry most of the load.

slab around the cones where they connect (Figure 3.2 and 3.3).

The Phaeno Science Center uses a variety of Structural systems with only a few different materials. The majority of the building is built of reinforced Self Compacting Concrete, the primary exceptions being the Roof Truss system and the supports for it along the exterior wall.

The cones and the majority of the Concrete structure is site cast, with the exception of some Precast concrete panels which make up the titled windows on the west facade. The Concourse level is a large spanning waffle slab (Figure 3.4) which is supported by the concrete cones themselves and cantilievers beyond them. The waffle slab is not a typical waffle system as the form of the waffles are parallelgrams in shape as opposed to squares. These waffles are oriented with the building so that the long vertice is parallel with the long walls of Phaeno.

The 10 cones (Figure 3.1) which run through the building are the primary and in fact only real structural support for the entire building, as all loads are traced back to these cones. Each cone is unique, their irregular shapes are all different and their interconnection with the Concourse level manifests in different ways. While all the cones connect with

All the structural systems within Phaeno are complicated or special in some way and the roof truss is no exception. The Roof truss is exposed to the interio and spans the entire length of Phaeno with no intermediary supports except for the 5 Structural cones. Along the Exterior wall, where the floor as been cantielievered past

The structural cones which hold the

the cone, the Roof Truss is supported by steel columns. These Columns are connected together with Irregular diagonnal members and in many places do not act as structure to the Main concrete Exterior walls. However where the Prefabricated

waffle slab curve outward give the

Concrete window panels are, the Figure 3.1: Phaeno Structural Cones

38

#/.% &,//2#/..%#4)/.

Figure 3.2: Detail of floor-cone connection

0OLISHED7HITE PAINTED#ONCRETE&INISH 2EINFORCED#ONCRETE3LAB #ONCRETE&ILL

7AFFLE3LAB

3ELF #OMPACTING#ONCRETE#ONES

2EBAR

Figure 3.3: Connection between waffleslab and Cone

Figure 3.4: Basic waffle slabe shape

39

Columns are connected by paralllel members which run at the same slope as the window panels and support them (Figures 3.5 and 3.6).

The Roof Truss itself is a 2 way verendeel truss (Figures 3.7-3.9). While its bays are primarily square in shape, they do not stay that way as the Truss itself changes over the length of the building. The angles of the intersections become smaller, creating parallelgram bays, similiar to the waffleslab but with far more complicated geometry (Figures 3.12 and 3.13).

Figure 3.5: Exposed Steel Frame Wall

Figure 3.6: Precast Wall Window Panels Figure 3.7: Roof Truss Grid Layout

40

Figure 3.9: Installation of Roof Truss

Figure 3.8: Roof Truss Detail

Not only does the truss change direction in such a way as to alter its form, but it also changes elevation in certain areas, where it drops down nearly 2 meters at a 45 degree angle. Generally at these places the depth of the truss doubles, but this is not always the

Where the truss interesects and connects with the Structural cones, the botom section of the truss is cut away, just short of the cones themselves while the upper part of the truss rests upon a concrete ledge that potrudes from the cones themselves (Figure 3.11).

case.

Figure 3.10: Load Path Diagram of Structural System

Figure 4.11

41

Figure 4.11 Figure 3.11: Connection between Cone and Truss

#/.% 2//&#/..%#4)/.

2OOF

7ATER PROOFING )NSULATION

3TEEL4RUSS 3ELF #OMPACTING#ONCRETE#ONES

2EBAR

Figure 3.12:

Exposed Steel Trusses

Figure 3.13:

42

Truss where bays are no longer rectangular

Floor System The major floor system in Phaeno Science Center is at the Concourse level, where exhibition occurs. The floor is held by concrete waffle slab, which in turn is held by the structural cones (Figure 3.14). There are many layers above the waffle slab. In fact, between the top of the structural waffle slab and the very top of the floor finish, it is about 12 inches. The floor is finished in a smooth, polished material, that gives a very uniform and flat feel. There are finishings of small black circles on the floor, they are evenly distributed. The circles are flat and aligned with the rest of the floor. Underneath these circles are actually ties of electrical wires (FIgures 3.14 and 3.15) Although visually hidden, heavy wiring runs above the waffle slab (Figure 3.16). These wires are tied

top of this reinforced slab is smoothened with cement (Figure 3.21) It is then painted with white paint (Figure 3.22) and polished. black circles are placed to cover the holes left by the wires (Figure 3.14).

Figure 3.14: Interior Floor Finish

into bundles in a regular manner (Figure 3.17). The bundles are then distributed evenly across the floor. a layer of concrete is poured over, leaving only the bundle heads above (Figure 3.18). Then grids of reinforcement bars are placed on top (Figure 3.19). But where the wire bundles peak out, a small cylinder is placed over the bundle, protecting it (Figure 3.20). Then another layer of concrete is poured (Figure 3.21). After the concrete sets, the cylinders are taken out, leaving holes on the floor. The

43

Figure 3.15: Floor System Section

Figure 3.16: Floor Construction

44



45


Figure 3.20: Laying down of cylinders to protect wire bundles

46

Figure 3.21: Second Slab of Concrete being poured

Figure 3.22: Finished Concrete Floor with holes for wiring

47

The development of self-compacting concrete was the key to the

relied on. Many younger construction workers lack the experience to know when the concrete is settled correctly, vibrated enough, or if the concrete is flowed evenly through-

construction of the Phaeno Science Center (Figures 3.23 and 3.24).

out the framework and around the rebars, etc.

Self-compacting concreate was developed in Japan, Sweden and France in the 1980s. The reason for this new technology was to achieve more durable concrete and complex structures.

Self-compacting concrete does not need as much supervision as regular concrete, since the concrete does not need to be vibrated due to its extremely fluidity. It is able to flow through the frameworks and around rebar easily and effectivly by its own compound property.

Self Compacting Concrete

This type of concrete was also used to compensate for the dependency of the skills of worker which the strength of the concrete is highly

Figure 3.23: Structural cone during contstruction

Figure 3.24: Rebar within a cone

48

Process to achieve self-compacting concrete: 1) limit coarse aggregate content 2) low water-powder ratio 3) use of superplasticizer By limiting coarse aggregate content, there is an increase in contact between the aggregate particles. The contact between particles makes the concrete stronger. Also,

having less coarse aggregate will decrease the blockage of other particles allowing them to flow better.

Figure 3.25

Having a low water to powder ratio in the concrete mixture and the use of a superplasticizer makes the concrete a lot more viscous. This also prevents the blockage of the coarse aggregate because these coarse particles can flow around in the paste easily too, rotating and moving out of the way of the other particles (Figure 3.25). This overall reduces the segregation between aggregate and mortar, further strengthening the concrete because the particles and substance in the mix are evenly distributed. This way makes the concrete structure strong throughout its form, rather than having one section stronger than the rest (Figure 3.26). (Okamura & Ouchi)

Less coarse aggregate allows particles to flow between, reducing the blockage that occurs.

Using a superplasticizer allows the coarse aggregate to move more freely and out of the way of partcles.

SELF-COMPACTING

WATER

0

WATER

NORMAL CONCRETE

CONCRETE

- need vibration or - uses less coarse aggregate

POWDER

- uses more powder (plsticizer) - extremely fluid

packing

20 POWDER

-strength rely on skill of workers

40

FINE AGGREGATE

- no vibrators needed

FINE AGGREGATE

60

COARSE AGGREGATE

COARSE 80 AGGREGATE

100

49

Figure 3.26

Another advantage of self-compacting concrete is that it can reduce about 50 percent of labor costs because it requires less workers to pour the concrete and vibrate the concrete. Self-compacting concrete requires less maintanance during construction because the construction workers do no have to worry as much if the concrete has poured correctly in evenly through the framework. Self-compacting concrete can be poured 80 percent faster than normal concrete mainly because of its physical property of being more fluid. The concrete flows easily through the framework, between rebars, around corners, and into nooks. The amount of work on the distribution the concrete once it is poured is significantly reduced. Workers do not have to vibrate the concrete which again reduce time and energy. (Figure 3.27-3.33.)

Figure 3.27: Construction workers tying rebar

Figure 3.29: Waffle Slab Formwork around structural cone

Figure 3.28: Rebar and formwork for Cone

50

Because self-compacting concrete does not need to be vibrated, it reduces the wear and tear of frameworks, saving money. This concrete is great for pre-cast concrete companies who use the same framework many times.

Phaeno Science Center used selfcompacting concrete technology; without it, such complex, irregular, and demanding structure could never be built. The waffle slab, having obtuse and acute angles, would be difficult to pour with normal concrete, resulting in lessened structural effectiveness, which would make the long span impossible. The concrete cones were designed with irregular shapes, difficult for concrete to flow through, especially since they are also slim and slanted. There is also a lot of rebar in the concrete cones (Figure 3.33) leaving very small spacing between bars. This structure would be extremely hard for normal concrete to flow through, because there is high pobablity of coarse aggregate getting trapped between rebars, leave pockets and bubbles. The cones’ inversely-angled shape would also

Figure 3.30: Framework Construction of Cones



be hard to vibrate. Overall, self-compacting concrete was the essential technology that had to be used to make the building’s form and structure, allowing Zaha’s innovative design to manifest physically


51

Overall, the building has 4 levels, the first is the ground level, an artificially landscaped piazza, roofed by Phaeno’s main floor. Here the whole level is open, providing visual

Part 4. Program and Performance

as well as physical connection, the programmatic and structural cones are the only things connecting to the ground. The second level is a mezzanine level (Figure 4.8). The spaces are inside the structural cones, but still below the main exhibition level. The third floor, concourse level, is the main exhibition space (Figure 4.8) This floor has a mostly open plan, with exhibitions through-out. Above selective parts of the concourse floor is another level of mezzanine (Figure 4.8). Programs from the main level flows up into this level.

The property lot for Phaeno Science Center is 13,000 m², and the gross building area is 12,631 m², 9,000 of which are accessible for visitors. Of that area, 7,000 m² are for active exhibition and public laboratories. More specifically, 5,900 m² are for general open exhibit, there is a bio and chemical lab of 54 m², a physics and engineering lab of 118 m², employing 10 personnel, a science theater of 560 m², employing 16 personnel, and a idea-forum of 360 m². There are several dining places in the building, a 149 m² Bistro, a 290 m² self-service restaurant, a 376 m² meeting/catering area, a 32 m² coffee and sandwich bar. Kitchen, toilet, and storage take up 304 m², and there’s a 382 m² shop. Other functional areas include 1500 m² of administration/management, storage, and workshops. The underground parking garage holds 400 bays and has an area of 12,600 m². Photos of selective area are shown in Figures 4.1 to 4.5. Diagrams of program location in plan, section, and axometric view are shown in Figures 4.7 to 4.9. Diagrams of program percentage shown in Figures 4.10 and 4.11.

Figure 4.1: Main Entrance Escalator

Figure 4.2 Concourse level from Mezzanine

52

Figure 4.3: View of Shop in Eastern Corner

Figure 4.4: Underneath Pheano between the cones

Figure 4.5: Coffe Bar beneath Phaeno

53

The building operates from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. It costs 11 euro for adults, 7 euro for young adults, and free for 6 and under. There are additional group and family discounts. During the first year of its opening, the Phaeno Science Center received an impressive 180,000 visitors, a large portion of which were school tours or family with children, and the Autostadt also helped the ticket sales. The exhibition hosts 250 experiments for display, all of which are scattered on the concourse and concourse mezzanine floors.

Figure 4.6: Large numbers of children and young adults visiting Phaeno

Total Building Area

Figure 4.7: Location of Program within Phaeno

(sq. meter) 9000

Public Space

2000

Private Space

1600

other (circulation/bathroom)

12600

Underground parking garage

25200

TOTAL

Administration

Public and Private Area

Giftshop Administration

(sq. meter) 7000

Exhibition

560

Auditorium

382

Gift Shop

376

Catering Area

290

Restaurant

149

Bistro

32

Coffee Bar

304

Kitchen

218

Laboratory

1500

Administration

Laboratory Laboratory

Event Space

Group Entrance Main Entrance

Cafe Restaurant

Artificial Landscape

Entrance

Auditorium Bistro

Underground Parking

54

Ramp

Figure 4.8: Floorplans

Administration Laboratory Laboratory

Restaurant

Ramp

Laboratory

Laboratory

CONCOURSE MEZZANINE

Giftshop

Entrance


Restaurant

Ramp

CONCOURSE LEVEL

Giftshopv

Administration

Laboratory

Event Space

Cafe

Auditorium


Ramp

GROUND LEVEL Bistro

55

Figure 4.9: Sectional Program Diagram

Exhibition Space Cone Programmed Public Space Cone Circulation Space Artificial Landscape Parking Garage

Exhi Shop

Exhibition

Shop Underground Parking

Exhi

Staff Room

Stair we well Underground Parking

General Total Building Area

other (circulation/bathroom) 6%

Underground parking garage 50%

Private Space 8% Public Space 36% Figure 4.10: Percentage of space use within Phaeno

56

Underground Parkin

king

Exhibition Exhibition

Exhibition Bathrooms

Staff Room

Laboratoryy

Laboratoryy

Ramp S Service Elevatorr

Event Space Underground Parking

Stair well

Underground Parking

Public and Private Area (Excluding Underground Parking)

Catering Area Restaurant Bistro Coffee Bar Kitchen Exhibition Auditorium Shop Laboratory Administration

Administration 14% Laboratory 2% Kitchen 3% Coffee Bar 1% Bistro 2%

Exhibition 63%

Restaurant 3% Catering Area 3% Shop 4% Auditorium 5%

Figure 4.11: Percentage of programs within Phaeno

57

The Phaeno Science Center is not only a museum holding exhibits; it also has biology labs, chemistry labs, physics labs, and engineering labs where scientists work. These

Figure 4.12: Laboratory within Phaeno

laboratories become exhibits themselves where exhibitioners can view these laboratories through windows to see the scientists at work (See figure 3.28 and figure 3.29). This also follows Zaha Hadid’s concept of visual continuity where the exhibition spaces and the laboratories are connected, but unaccessable to the general public. This is program element as part of the museum exhibit further inspires museum guests of science. This also follows Zaha Hadid’s concept of continuity where the exhibition spaces and the laboratories are connected, only visually because exhibitioners aren’t allowed to enter the labs due to safety reasons. This science center also hold a lot of public program besides the museum part of it. It has a café, bistro, and a restaurant. The bistro and café are on the ground floor on the artificial landscape where they allow easy access to the public people where they can get a quick snack or meal see figure 3.30. A kitchen separates the bistro and the restaurant where it is designed to be used for both food services.

Figure 4.13: Laboratory within one of Phaeno’s cones

Also there is the large auditorium on the ground floor where it can be used independent of the museum. It is located near the major ramp that connects the ground floor to the 58

upper floor and to the land across the canal toward the Autostadt. This large ramp way is designed for major circulation among the auditorium, the museum, the ground level where people can have access to the parking area or to public transportation, and the bridge that crosses the canal (see figure 3.31 and figure 3.32). There is a large underground parking garage under the artificial landscape where staircases that cut into the landscape allow access to the garage.

Figure 4.14: Artificial landscape below Phaeno where Bistro entrance and a Cafe are located.

Figure 4.15: Ramp leading from Phaeno to bridge to Autostadt

Figure 4.16: Ramp leading from Phaeno to Bridge, looking South.

59

Structure-Program Performance

At first glance, the building almost appears to be hovering above ground and stretching out in all direction with massive cantilevers. But in reality it is held up by the huge structural cones at its base, it is difficult to visualize because of the artificial landscape that merges and becomes the cones, and the cones merges and becomes the floor plate (Figure 4.17).

Figure 4.17: Exterior view of Artificial landscape and its movement into Phaeno

The general programmatic strategy laid out by Zaha Hadid appears simple but creative. Public programs and public spaces are located on the open, ground floor of the Phaeno Science Center to draw people into the museum.

such as event space, auditorium, labs, and offices are hidden within the structural cones.

Besides the public space and open ground floor, the structure of the building also plays a part of continuing into the main building. The massive cones that hold up the building are hollow inside. It is where the entrance into the building occur, and secondary programs occupy, creating a unique experience of entering the main entrance of the museum through a space-withinspace. The cones also serve to seperate public and private interior space. The general public exhibition space is the entire open concourse floor, while limited access areas

Figure 4.18: Cone programmed gift shop

60

Figure 4.19: Exhibition space

Figure 4.20: Cone programmed Coffee bar

61

Exhibition-Program Performance

With large open floor plates and large spans of the building, the main concourse level consist of open space that is flexible for any type or size of exhibition (Figures 4.21 and

span and height which add to the flexibility of concourse level, as well visual interest for visitors.

4.22). The curator and exhibition designer has the freedom and ease to fit different kinds of exhibitions into the space in a variety of ways, and it is also easy to rearrange them (Figures 4.24-4.29)

large open spaces for the programs to take place in. These cones hold semi public spaces and also the entrance to the museum where they act as the only vertical circulation of the building.

There is a large steel space frame above the concourse level, held up by the cones and by the support in the exterior walls, which are usually on the cantilevered concrete slab that is in turn, still supported by the cones. The steel frame allows great

The large cone structures allow the

Figure 4.21: Concourse level exhibition space

62

4.22: Concourse level exhibition space

Figure 4.23: Exhibit over Main Entrance

Figure 4.24: Exhibit hung from roof truss

Figure 4.25: Full height Exhibit

63

Although Zaha developed a clear general strategy for dividing public programs from limited access programs, and from vertical circulation, she left the design and layout of the actual exhibition open to others. Resulting in the lack of co-corporation between the exhibits with the space they occupy. There is no correlation between the two; exhibits are scattered throughout the open concourse floor, with no clear system of circulation or order. Even the other program spaces, such as the laboratories, restaurant, and gift shop, which are in the cones lack strategy and order. They seems to be placed randomly into cones, based only on the need of the amount of space.

Figure 4.26: Interactive Exhibit

These secondary spaces have no relationship with the ground plane or the concourse exhibition spaces. It seems that all the space between the cones is used as exhibition space, but the organization of these spaces are not thought of. Therefore the exhibition space, which one could argue as the most important space of the Science Center, actually emanates secondary importance, as it feels like space left over by the cones.

Figure 4.27: Exhibit

64

The exhibition space is a total of 7000 square feet out of 9000 square feet of the total public interior space of the building. It takes up sixty-five percent of the building even though it feels like it takes up more space. The reason for this is that the other public spaces, like the café, auditorium, etc, are usually not on the same level as the exhibition space, they are either above or below the concourse floor. Even the programs that are on the concourse level, like the laboratories, they take up relatively little space on that level compared to the exhibition space. Overall, there is little physical and visual connection of the exhibition space and the other spaces from within the building. Most programs are encased inside the cones. To get from the exhibition space to the auditorium or the café, one would have to go to the main entrance cone, go outside and below the building to get to those programs.



65

Organization Strategy Performance

Figure 4.30: Within Phaeno Parking Garage

The total size of the site including

attractive for pedestrians, as people

artificial landscape is about 12600 square meters large. About half of that area is the actual foot print of the building.

prefered to walk on the parameter of the site.

The public main entrance to the museum is in the center of the site; one has to walk at least 60 meters to get to this entrance, traveling through the artificial landscape, into the covered ground floor space, where lights are spaced in the irregular waffle slab above. One may find walking under this massive monument over whelming, the sight of concrete above and below, and the building floating above, is not 66

Another issue that exist in the open ground floor is its size. This semiunderground space is immensely large. For someone to walk from one cone to the other, such as going from the auditorium to the café or gift shop, would require walking some distance in a fairly barren and abandoned place, even though all of these are suppose to be one building (Figure 4.31). In conclusion, the programmatic strategy is interesting and creative

conceptually, but the building doesn’t work that well in performance. The general strategy does not apply to the detail layout of the programs. The design and space

becomes secondary. It is simply a large field with focal points, whether it be the cones or the exhibits.

is not to scale with a human being or the science exhibits. Especially the open ground floor is large and overwhelming. Although there is continuity throughout the building, there is no directionality of movement; the main concourse space

Figure 4.31: Ground Level looking at underside of Autitorium

67

Part 5. Innovations and Influences

The Phaeno Science Center is innovative in design and structure, where both are dynamic and nontraditional. The major design principle of the building is movement and continuity. It is present in the visual, physical, and surface systems. The idea of Urban Carpet made famous by the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati is played here again as a part of the surface continuity principle. The entire building is lifted one story above the ground, leaving the first floor open with only the 10 structural cones obstructing, creating a dynamic public place that allows various physical passages and visual frames. The ground is artificially landscaped with the same color as the building. The landscape flows out of the ground smoothly and morphs into the cones which disintegrate into the floor plate and curves up to create the walls of the building. Even the

reinforced by the tilting lines and the irregular waffle slab. The main floor plate, whose underside is the ceiling of the open ground floor is made from a diamond shaped,

floor slab, and the heavy load they must take demanded the use of Self-Compacting Concrete, instead of regular concrete. SCC mixture is more fluid than normal concrete

quadrilateral waffle, instead of the common rectangular kind. While many of the waffles are filled in, some are left open with lighting fixtures. The lines of the waffles can be traced to the edge of the building and then curves up into the tilting lines of the walls, which define the diamond, quadrilateral glazing. When the building is lit at night times, lights are coming out of both the glazing and the waffle openings, creating even more continuity in the building.

and can flow though formwork and rebar more evenly, resulting in stronger concrete and even the elimination of vibrating process. Phaeno Science Center is the largest building in Europe using such technique. To compliment the great spans with only 5 supporting cones, a heavy steel truss system is used for the roof. The truss is a two way Vierendeel truss primarily square in shape. It changes in elevation in certain areas; where it drops down to meet the structural cones.

Of course this theme of continuity and movement can not be achieved without major structural innovations. The most important and notable innovation is the use of 10 massive concrete cones as the structures, eliminating the need for beams and columns, and freeing the façade. However the cones are not only structural, they are also programmatic, creating functional spaces within a space. 5 of the 10 cones connect only to the main concourse floor, and the other 5 continue all the way up to the ceiling. All vertical circulation systems are within the cones, as well as various programs such as labs, offices, café, and auditorium. Thus the main space left outside of the cones are all for exhibition, creating a large-span open floor without interruption of columns. The unique shape of the cones, waffle

interior of Phaeno follows this logic, continuous floor curves up into walls, cones, and mezzanine levels. This treatment to create surface continuity is quite experimental and innovative, and is even more

68

Hadid has perhaps been one of her own greatest influences, her buildings evolving from her paintings transitioning from the “paper architect” into a “built architect”. Of course, her paintings themselves have deep roots in the Russian Constructivists, avant-garde and Cubism. The similiarities between her paintings and those of the Russian Avant-garde movement, such as Kazimir Malevich are easy to see. Her paintings and her buildings are built from the city, where the city is

Figure 5.1: Morning in the VIllage After Snowstorm, by Kazimir Malevich

shattered into planes of different materialities that overlap, intersect, float among one another and the building becomes an abstraction of this, becoming a part of the city yet disjointed. It becomes apparent within her paintings that it is not her building itself that is the painting, for the building makes up only the smallest part, but the context, the city and surroundings themselves that become the painting.

Hadid’s Teacher and colleague Koolhaas also helped shape and influence her architectural style. Both are part of the Deconstructivist movement, and working with interaction and “Cross-programming” of space, of movement instead of “form following function”. Building

Figure 5.2: Blue Slabs, The Peak Club, by Zaha Hadid

becomes an instigator of movement and program rather than a static form.

interior through minimal structural elements resounds within Hadid’s work. An interesting parallel can be drawn between Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye and Phaeno Science Center. Both buildings raise the main floor above ground, supporting it on Concrete structure (narrow columns in Savoye, vs. the cones in Phaeno). Both structural systems also allow an open floor plan on the interior, without the need for intermittent supporting walls. Hadid of course takes this one step further and the cones themselves actually hold program. Finally, this also allows the walls to be free of the structure and have greater glazing or other materiality than might otherwise be possible.

Another architect of influence on Hadid is Le Corbusier, who was a pioneer in the Modernist movement of architecture. He promoted less structure with open floor plans and “Free facades”. Interestingly, he was a supporter of minimal decoration and Clean, exact angles, basing much of his architecture off of the Golden Section. It is ironic that Hadid then creates shapes and buildings which have no discernable connection to this principle which controlled so much of his architecture. Still, his use of concrete and freeing up the

69

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Figure 3.13 Figure 3.14 Figure 3.15 Figure 3.16 Figure 3.17

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Figure 3.18 Figure 3.19 Figure 3.20 Figure 3.21 Figure 3.22 Figure 3.23 Figure 3.24 Figure 3.25 Figure 3.26 Figure 3.27 Figure 3.28 Figure 3.29 Figure 3.30 Figure 3.31 Figure 3.32 Figure 3.33

Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Okamura & Ouchi Okamura & Ouchi Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Doka Doka Doka Doka

Figure 2.35 Figure 2.36 Figure 2.37 Figure 2.38

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Mayer Bährle Hadid Hadid GA Document 2005 Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle

Figure 3.1 Figure 3.2 Figure 3.3 Mayer Bährle Figure 3.4 Figure 3.5 Mayer Bährle Figure 3.6 Mayer Bährle Figure 3.7 Figure 3.8 Figure 3.9 Mayer Bährle Figure 3.10 Figure 3.11 Figure 3.12 Mayer Bährle

Figure 2.1 Hartemink 1996 Figure 2.2 Filiss 1999 Figure 2.3 Schneider Figure 2.4 Schneider Figure 2.5 Code Network Media Group Figure 2.6 “Sight Seeing and Experience” Figure 2.7 Reichardt 70


Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle

Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle Mayer Bährle

Figure 4.6 Ansel Figure 4.7 Figure 4.8 Figure 4.9 Figure 4.10 Figure 4.11 Figure 4.12 Ansel Figure 4.13 Ansel Figure 4.14 Mayer Bährle Figure 4.15 Mayer Bährle Figure 4.16 Mayer Bährle Figure 4.17 Mayer Bährle Figure 4.18 Mayer Bährle Figure 4.19 Mayer Bährle Figure 4.20 Mayer Bährle Figure 4.21 Mayer Bährle Figure 4.22 Mayer Bährle


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Figure 4.28 Figure 4.29 Figure 4.30 Figure 4.31

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Figure 5.1 “The Artchive” Figure 5.2 The Gilbert Collection

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Zaha Hadid. Phaeno Science Centre

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