Building history of the Cubity Atelier House
From the initial idea to the current location in the municipality of Merzenich
The sustainable life cycle of CUBITY is particularly evident in the form of its remarkable, resource-saving construction method, which emphasizes the basic principle of sufficiency.«
Milestones of the CUBITY.
From the idea to the Atelier House in Merzenich.
Student living of the future
In August 2013, the Department of Architecture at TU Darmstadt was invited by the organizers of the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 in Versailles to develop and build a pioneering residential cluster for students.
The Solar Decathlon is an international university competition initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2002. It took place every two years in Washington D.C. from 2005 to 2011. Since 2013, the location of the event has changed, increasing its influence across the entire country. Additionally, since 2010, there has been a European competition, the Solar Decathlon Europe, which also occurs biennially across Europe. Previous locations for this competition were Madrid in 2010 and 2012, and Paris in 2014.
Stage 1 - the CUBITY Prototype
The design task required the development of an innovative, sustainable, and architecturally high-quality residential cluster for at least ten student residents in the palace park of Versailles on the occasion of the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014. The cluster was to be created on a classic, ideal city-like grid with plots of 16 x 16 meters.
Source: TU Darmstadt
Design Phase - Spontaneous Design
Short Design: Individual work for concept development with 36 results
Processing Time: 4 weeks
Jury Result: Selection of 12 concepts for further development in groups of 2-4 students
Source: TU Darmstadt
Design Phase - Preliminary Design
Preliminary Design: Revision of the 12 selected concepts in groups of 2-4 students
Processing Time: 4 weeks
Jury Result: Selection of 5 revised concepts for further development in groups of 6-7 students
Source: TU Darmstadt
Design Phase - Draft
Draft: Further development of the 5 selected preliminary designs in groups of 6-7 students
Processing time: 6 weeks
Jury result: Selection of the winning design
Required deliverables for the final presentation:
- Explanatory texts, diagrams, and pictograms
- Site plans for Darmstadt and Versailles, scale 1:200
- Floor plans, sections, and elevations, scale 1:50
- Concepts for interior space, facade, construction, materials, energy supply, natural and artificial lighting, and outdoor space
- Urban planning model
Winning Design: Village in the House
The project „Village in the House“ presents a strong and symbolic guiding idea, poetically, individually, and experimentally formulating student living in Versailles and on the Lichtwiese in a technically simple manner. The concept of a low-budgetoriented aesthetic is convincing for its use and the spatial diversity derived from the concept.
Source: TU Darmstadt
Evaluation Criteria
The jury's evaluation was based on the following criteria:
- Urban planning flexibility
- Design quality
- Interior spatial quality
- Energy and technology concept
- Degree of innovation – guiding idea, energy, spatial concept, and construction
- Economic efficiency
- Modularity and transportability
- Structural logic
- Quality of detailed development
Source: TU Darmstadt
Planning Implementation
Following the competition decision, starting from early February 2014, the design and construction of the winning project "Village in the House" were intensively revised in parallel with the design, approval, and execution planning phases, taking into account the jury's feedback.
Source: TU Darmstadt
Planning Implementation
Key spatial elements, such as the position and dimensions of the cubes and the staircase systems, were comprehensively detailed. Functional areas that were schematically represented or partially missing in the competition design, such as the kitchen, entrance area, terraces, and gallery level, were precisely defined in the planning process.
Source: TU Darmstadt
THE SOLAR DECATHLON in Versailles 2014
Students from 23 universities around the world competed in the European Solar Decathlon in Versailles, France, from June 27 to July 14, 2014, presenting their ideas for energy-autonomous buildings.
Since student housing is limited, especially in large cities, this issue remains a serious problem of political relevance. In the "Cubity" project, the students focused on two main features: affordable student housing and a plus-energy standard.
Source: TU Darmstadt
Design Award: Iconic Award 2015
The student dormitory "CUBITY," jointly conceived by TU Darmstadt and DFH Deutsche Fertighaus Holding AG, received the prestigious Iconic Award from the German Design Council in 2015 as a visionary construction project. "CUBITY" offers modular, transportable, and sustainably built living space for twelve students on a relatively small footprint. The residential pavilion made its debut in 2014 at the "Solar Decathlon" in Versailles.
Source: TU Darmstadt
Athene Prize for Good Teaching
The student dormitory "CUBITY," conceived by TU Darmstadt, Department of Architecture, Division of Design and Building Technology, under Prof. Anett-Maud Joppien, and DFH Deutsche Fertighaus Holding AG, has been awarded the Athene Prize for Good Teaching, Special Award for Student Projects.
Source: TU Darmstadt
PLANNING, BUILDING, LIVING – ARCHITECTURE TRANSFORMS!
The Architecture Day 2023 in North Rhine-Westphalia takes place from June 17 to June 18. The Findeisen Foundation will open the doors of the CUBITY Atelier House in Merzenich on Sunday, June 18, from 1 pm to 6 pm, and invites visitors to tour this innovative hub for research and education. The focus of Architecture Day 2023 is on climate protection.
Pioneering place for knowledge transformation
In the CUBITY Atelier House of the Findeisen Foundation, people from all over the world are to temporarily research and live in a space dedicated to architecture, urban planning, nature and landscape development as part of the structural change at the Hambach open-cast mine. Dismantled in Frankfurt a. M. and rebuilt in Merzenich using over 95% of all existing materials. CUBITY is in the plus energy standard, developing an architecture geared towards efficiency and sufficiency.
Builder
Britta and Ulrich Findeisen Foundation for Art and Architecture
Author of the design
Architect Prof. Anett-Maud Joppien, BDA
Participants
Markus Schmale, Dipl.-Ing. Architect BDA
Paul Jarosch, B.Sc. in the field of architecture
Alexander Keller, M.A. Architect AKNW
Office
Schmale Architects GmbH
Landstrasse 18
41516 Grevenbroich
Phone 02182 8865700
info@schmale-architekten.de
www.schmale-architekten.com
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Image: Current construction status as of May 20, 2023, CUBITY without installed PV system and exterior design
Speeches and greetings at the topping-out ceremony of the CUBITY Atelier House
Program of the topping-out ceremony
– Greeting: Markus Schmale, Dipl.-Ing., Architect BDA, Chairman of the Foundation
– Laudation: Ina Scharrenbach, Minister for Home Affairs, Municipal Affairs, Building and Digitalization
of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen
– Greeting message: Jens Bröker, District of Düren on behalf of Wolfgang Spelthan, District Administrator for the District of Düren
– Greeting message: Georg Gelhausen, Mayor of the municipality of Merzenich
– Craftsmen’s topping-out ceremony speech: Sakir Kilic, Master roofer
– Acknowledgments and invitation to the CUBITY tour: Markus Schmale, Dipl.-Ing., Architect BDA, Chairman of the Foundation
– Video greeting: Anett-Maud Joppien, Prof. Dipl.-Ing., M.Arch, Architect BDA, TU Darmstadt
– Visit: Exhibition in the CUBITY Atelier House
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Topping-out ceremony in the municipality of Merzenich
On September 21, 2022, the birthday of the founder Prof. Ulrich Findeisen (+), the official topping-out ceremony of the CUBITY studio building took place. Around 70 invited guests attended the special event at Poolplatz in Merzenich. The event was opened by building owner Markus Schmale, Chairman of the Board of the Britta and Ulrich Findeisen Foundation for Art and Architecture. In her speech, Ina Scharrenbach, Minister for Home Affairs, Municipal Affairs, Building and Digitalization of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, praised the concept and idea behind the CUBITY Atelier House. In his speech, Georg Gelhausen, Mayor of the municipality of Merzenich, emphasized the importance of CUBITY for the cultural development of the municipality. After the ceremonial inauguration and topping-out speech by master roofer Sakir Kilic, CUBITY was opened to visitors for a tour.
Construction of the CUBITY at the new location at Poolplatz in Merzenich
After moving from Hesse to North Rhine-Westphalia in 2022, CUBITY was rebuilt at Poolplatz in the municipality of Merzenich. At its new location, the CUBITY Atelier House with its new utilization concept will be used as a pioneering place for education, teaching and research. People from all over the world can temporarily research and live in the newly built studio house on the topics of architecture, urban planning, nature and landscape development as part of the structural change at the Hambach open-cast mine.
Dismantling of the CUBITY in Frankfurt
The dismantling of the CUBITY in Frankfurt-Niederrad began on May 9, 2022. All the fixtures and equipment were stored on site and prepared for transport to the new location – the Poolplatz in the municipality of Merzenich. Under the sustainable motto “reuse instead of recycle,” many materials were preserved during the dismantling of the solar, sanitary and electrical systems, measuring devices, sensors, floor elements, furnishings and other trades and reused in the new construction of CUBITY in Merzenich.
Cubity is moving
The Britta and Ulrich Findeisen Foundation for Art and Architecture, based in Cologne, acquired the multi-award-winning CUBITY building, which was developed by TU Darmstadt, at the turn of 2021/22. In 2022, the building was dismantled in Frankfurt and relocated to North Rhine-Westphalia.
Handover of the building application in Merzenich to the district administrator of the Dueren district
On December 23, 2021, the building application was officially handed over by the Chairman of the Board of the Britta and Ulrich Findeisen Foundation for Art and Architecture, Dipl.-Ing. Architect BDA Markus Schmale, at the new location of CUBITY in Merzenich.
Awards
The CUBITY was honored with an award in the “Exemplary Buildings in the State of Hesse 2020” competition. The official award ceremony took place on February 21, 2022 in Frankfurt am Main. The “Exemplary Buildings in the State of Hesse – Prize for Architecture and Urban Development” award has been awarded since 1954 and is one of the oldest recognized architecture awards in Germany.
The Cubity Living Lab in Frankfurt
The CUBITY Living LAB came to Frankfurt on Adolf-Miersch-Strasse in 2015. As of 2016, twelve students lived in the building on property owned by the Nassauischen Heimstaette Wohnstadt and used it for living and studying. In addition to affordable living space with high energy efficiency, the CUBITY Living LAB served as a meeting place that combines community and the exchange of ideas.
Design and implementation
The CUBITY was developed in 2014 by the Department of Architecture at TU Darmstadt for the Solar Declathon Europe in Versailles. The footprint of the external volume is 16 x 16 meters; the hall is enclosed by a translucent facade made of polycarbonate panels. Transparent glazing allows views from inside. Within the large volume there are twelve living cubes measuring around 9 square meters, which are stacked in pairs. Each cube has a prefabricated sanitary cell and built-in furniture. The zoning and organization of the rooms inside was designed without being assigned to a specific direction, so that the CUBITY can be flexibly aligned to the respective location.
Photo Credit
Construction Plan: H & K Planning company, Dueren, 2021
Nikolaus Zumbusch, Nikola Kostovski, BRANDCONTRAST GmbH, Frankfurt
Sharon Nathan, Britta and Ulrich Findeisen Foundation for Art and Architecture
Cubity Atelier House Side View: TU Darmstadt, CUBITY – Plus Energy + Modular Future Student Living;
Cubity Atelierhaus Corner View: TU Darmstadt, CUBITY – Plus Energy + Modular Future Student Living, Location Frankfurt am Main
Data protection notice
Please note that when you click on the links you will be directed to an external website. The provider’s data protection regulations apply there and cookies may be set by them.