Kulturwerk am See & Musikschule, Norderstedt, Germany

The Landesgartenschau Schleswig-Holstein 2011 (horticultural exhibit) offered the opportunity to convert a decommissioned former sand-lime brick plant into a cultural/event center. Transsolar took on the task of developing a climate concept tailored to the existing buildings and their use as venues.
One important goal was to achieve upscale user comfort in the rooms, if possible without high energy usage for ventilation, heating and cooling. The climate of Norderstedt offers excellent conditions for natural ventilation. An existing subbasement, converted into an earth canal register, now conditions the supply air, which enters the two event rooms through source air outlets in the stands, benches and via the stage area. A 20 m high exhaust chimney generates the drive for this purpose. Natural ventilation is only mechanically supported in calm conditions or high outside temperatures. A radiative ceiling heating system heats the rooms in the winter and cools them in the summer, using groundwater from a well.
Adjacent to the converted factory building was a new building for the local music school with teaching and rehearsal rooms, a dance and movement room and a cafeteria in the foyer. All teaching and rehearsal rooms of the new building are naturally ventilated. The ventilation through the windows is supported by exhaust air openings in the raised attic area on the roof of the open staircase. Between the classrooms and the traffic areas there are soundproof overflow openings. Only the rooms for band practice in the basement are mechanically ventilated with decentralized ventilation units with heat recovery. Natural night air cooling removes thermal loads from the building and ensures that the rooms do not overheat in summer.
The double façade is separated by the floors as well as by the rooms. The inner shell is made of heat protection glass; horizontally rotated sand-lime bricks and single glass panes alternate in the visible facade with a sunshade arranged in the intermediate space. Due to the characteristic perforation of the sand-lime bricks and through air openings above and below the glass panes, a good ventilation of the gap is guaranteed. The perforation of the sand-lime bricks also creates interesting visual effects in the interior.
For the developed concepts, Transsolar has demonstrated their function by means of thermal building simulation with TRNSYS and flow simulations with TRNFLOW.