Acoustically Arched

Berlin Art Institute 2

A rendering of a glass and concrete building from across the street.

Berlin Art Institute 2

Overview

This project is a new building for the Berlin Art Institute or BAI, located in the Tiergartenviertel district of Berlin. The site is surrounded by many different architectural styles including buildings like the Kulturforum, Mies van der Rohe’s National Gallery, the new Herzog and de Meuron Modern Museum, as well as the Berlin Philharmonic by Hans Scharoun and the Social Science Center. The designated program includes various sizes of collaborative studio spaces, classrooms, audio visual spaces, exhibition areas, administration, and storage.

Site Plan

Site plan showing existing buildings and adding the new designed one with access points highlighted.

With it’s inspiration from the Neue National Gallery in form and materiality, my building makes a connection to the site that isn’t a direct copy, but rather compliments its surroundings. Overall the building creates a presence, but one of transparency and vulnerability on the site. The program of art galleries and combination studios lead the visitor whether student or guest with the idea of the process of art. The emphasis is not on the final product, rather the work and the time the artists put into their pieces. The beauty of the artist at work is what should be on display. This follows through with the actual exhibition gallery spaces being located in the basement.

Sketches

This was an integrated design studio, so in addition to designing a beautiful building, we really had to focus on how a building works. We spent time looking at code, structure, and mechanical systems as well as telling a story through architecture. There was a certain process we were encouraged to follow including how to approach revisions to our initial design proposals.

After looking at the code requirements for our particular building program, we started taking our single line drawings and tracing potential changes over them. We slowly made these design changes and added in structure and mechanical methodically altering our drawings and design proposals as we went. In the end, we documented the entire process which culminated in a 315 page book.

Trace paper sketch of basement level with text describing possible design changes.
Trace paper sketch of ground level with text describing possible design changes.
Trace paper sketch of second level with text describing possible design changes.
Trace paper sketch of third level with text describing possible design changes.
Trace paper sketch of fourth level with text describing possible design changes.

Elevations

Rendered elevation cutting through the site.
Rendered elevation cutting through the site.

Sections

Rendered section cutting through the site and designed building.
Rendered section cutting through the site including the Neue National Gallery and the designed building.

Floor Plans

The main organization feature of this building was to rearrange a core of circulation around the courtyard and the perimeter with program spaces in between. The courtyard approximately occupies ⅓ of the building’s footprint. The square floor plan takes inspiration from Mies van der Rohe’s New National Gallery next door. Having this square shape for my building then creates a larger outdoor public space for the community facing the Kulturforum which could create opportunities for events or other gatherings hosted by BAI or other groups.

Basement level floor plan with text labeling the rooms.
Ground level floor plan with text labeling the rooms.
Second level floor plan with text labeling the rooms.
Third level floor plan with text labeling the rooms.
Fourth level floor plan with text labeling the rooms.
Roof level floor plan with text labeling the rooms.

Building Assembly

To evaluate the thermal analysis of the building envelope, I used THERM. I decided the best place to try to evaluate the performance analysis would be where the first floor wall meets the ground and the basement. My facade condition isn’t the most efficient to begin with. I wanted an all glass facade where applicable to emulate the ideas of a visible art community. The idea of being able to see the artist during their art process was important to me.

Things became further complicated with my continuous concrete balcony. While not visible in the section I have analyzed with THERM, in the end I decided to keep the same material, but separate it and reconnect with rebar to try to help prevent thermal bridging.

Using THERM I had some difficulties defining what the materials were. For example, I had to create my own material for concrete, and did not realize there were so many different insulation options. There was also only the one option for the glass, so I probably could have looked up and been more specific in terms of defining the triple insulated glazing panels.

With the current results I have, there is thermal bridging in my design which needs to be fixed. Changes I could make to improve this design is not having a full curtain wall system spanning from floor to floor, and instead bring the bottom of the glass up to typical window height. This will help thermally but also because on the upper levels the concrete balcony railings hide part of the glass anyway. More concrete and insulation can fill in the space where the curtain wall was.

Detail wall and floor section with materials shown.
Detail for THERM Analysis
Detail wall and floor section showing thermal bridging with numbers.
THERM Analysis
Detail wall and floor section showing thermal bridging with color.
Color THERM Analysis
Detailed building envelope drawing with assemblies labeled showing in elevation, plan, and section.

Building Envelope in Elevation, Plan, and Section

Structure

The structural system consists of a concrete flat plate with four structural cores rotated around the building. The square floor plates with the square courtyards being cut out allows for a simple structural modulation. Two rows of columns are arranged in between the concrete cores. Floors 1-4 have this modulation with the only deviation occurring on the basement/foundation level. This is because this level does not conform to the established square shape as it is underground. The expansion adds to the archive spaces that get divided by three more shear walls.

Animated Structure Axon
Structural foundation plan showing dimensions.
BAI 2 Foundation Plan

Mechanical

I used a combination of passive and active systems in my building, but the main focus was to practice setting up the mechanical systems and sizing ductwork. The mechanical system splits into 4 zones. The first two zones are in opposite corners occupying the basement and the first floor, while the other two are in opposite corners of the second, third and fourth floor. Then, each area has a geothermal system connected to a heat pump which then connects to the air handling units located in the designated zones.

Diagram showing building and calling out the passive and active systems.
Passive and Mechanical Systems Diagram
Angled diagram showing the first mechanical system zone.
Zone 1 Mechanical System
Angled diagram showing the second mechanical system zone.
Zone 2 Mechanical System
Angled diagram showing the third mechanical system zone.
Zone 3 Mechanical System
Angled diagram showing the fourth mechanical system zone.
Zone 4 Mechanical System
Basement level mechanical floor plan showcasing ductwork and system.
Basement Mechanical Plan
Ground level mechanical floor plan showcasing ductwork and system.
Ground Floor Mechanical Plan

Final Design

A rendering of a glass and concrete building from across the street.
Berlin Art Institute 2 Exterior
A rendering of the building's courtyard with a tree in the middle.
BAI 2 Courtyard
A rendering of a ground level view of the entrance to the building with people interacting in the open space.
Entrance Plaza
An aerial view of the new building in the surrounding city context.
Berlin Art Institute Aerial with City Context

In the end, this was a great project to explore the use of structure, mechanical systems, and code more in depth than I have in the past. The studio’s emphasis on following a structured process was challenging at times. However, like I wanted to display in my building, the process, can be just as beautiful and rewarding as the finished product.