Concept design rendering elevation south
Visualization © HENN
Diagram concept design
Drawing © HENN
Elevation north
Photo © Stefan Müller
Roof top view
Photo © Stefan Gröschel, IMB, TU Dresden
Meeting room
Photo © Stefan Müller
Drone shot
Photo © Stefan Gröschel, IMB, TU Dresden
Smoothening of the outer concrete surface.
Photo © Stefan Gröschel, IMB, TU Dresden
Concrete slab with layes of sanded carbon sheets.
Photo © Stefan Gröschel, IMB, TU Dresden

CUBE

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Location
Dresden, Germany
Year
2022
Client
Manfred Curbach, Institut für Massivbau, TU Dresden
Team
Giovanni Betti, Oliver Koch, Georg Pichler, Chiara Schüler
General planner, building and component development, electrical installations, outdoor facilities
AIB GmbH Architekten Ingenieure
Modelling and component calculation
Assmann Beraten + Planen GmbH
Prefabricated construction
Betonwerk Oschatz GmbH
Government funders and promotors
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
Strategy
Carbon Concrete Composite e. V.
In-situ concrete construction and assembly
Dipl.-Ing. H. Bendl Hoch- und Tiefbau GmbH & Co. KG
Building physics, prefabricated construction, life cycle assessment
Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Kultur Leipzig, Institut für Betonbau
Project management, carbon concrete construction, knowledge transfer
Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Massivbau
Knowledge transfer
Texton e. V.

HENN has developed the concept design for the world's first building made of carbon concrete, the CUBE. The 243-m2 experimental building combines a laboratory and event rooms, and sets an example of architectural and structural innovation at the Technical University of Dresden (a German "University of Excellence").

Reinforced concrete is the world's most used building material, but its production is resource-intensive and polluting. Carbon concrete can drastically minimize resource consumption, as it can be up to four times lighter (because of the reduced structural sections) and four times stronger than regular concrete.

A Collaborative Research Project
Centrally located on Fritz-Foerster-Platz, at the heart of the university campus, the building combines laboratory and assembly functions and fosters intellectual exchange by increasing accessibility to research. The development of The CUBE was the result of a collaborative process involving Professor Manfred Curbach and his Institute for Solid Construction at the TU Dresden, as well as designers, architects and experts for material performance, visualizers and model builders from architectural office HENN. The open design process allowed for various technical tests and design research tracks to happen in parallel, contributing to both a successful experiment in material science and an innovative architectural project.

A Futuristic and Artistic Design
The design of The CUBE reinterprets the fluid, textile nature of carbon fibres by seamlessly merging the ceiling and walls in a single form, suggesting a future architecture in which environmentally-conscious design is paired with formal freedom and a radical rethinking of essential architectural elements. The wall and ceiling are no longer separate components but functionally merge into one another as an organic continuum. A narrow opening runs diagonally across the entire volume, emphasising the building’s geometry and creating bright skylights across all spaces.

Innovative Materials for Sustainable Building
The CUBE is a showcase project for a larger research program on innovative building materials called "C3 - Carbon Concrete Composite", financed by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which looks into the potential applications of carbon concrete. Carbon concrete could contribute to more flexible and resource-saving construction processes, and switching to carbon concrete could reduce the CO2 emissions from construction by up to 50%. With The CUBE, HENN is making a significant contribution to the development and implementation tomorrow's construction technologies.

Other Projects by HENN

Max Planck Institute for Brain Research
Frankfurt, Germany
Nantong Urban Planning Museum
Nantong, China
HVB-Tower Modernisation
Munich, Germany
Zalando Headquarters
Berlin, Germany
THE SOURCE high-rise revitalization
München, Germany