BetaPort

Leipzig, Saxony

Information about the reference project

Type of building:	Education and Culture
Series:	BIPV, AWS 75.SI+
Location:	Leipzig, Saxony
Completion:	2024
Architects:	Urban Beta
Specialist company:	Steyer Glas + Metallbau GmbH
Picture credits:	© Michael Moser Images

Learning Hub – building system for the future

Investments in building schools are investments in the future. It's about creating an environment which is stimulating, flexible and nurturing as a "third teacher". But also about the way in which it is created. As an educational facility, the learning hub at the Leipzig International School is more than just a building. The underlying BetaPort construction system has a circular approach, which contributes to a sustainable and rewarding future for today and generations to come. This was also made possible by using the Cradle-to-Cradle-certified window and sliding systems from Schüco.

Leipzig International School

The idea for developing the BetaPort into a learning hub at the Leipzig International School came from the school itself. Conscious that a good education also requires a corresponding educational infrastructure, the school directors were aiming to provide stimulating and flexible learning areas for the pupils to contrast with the diverse building stock on the primary and high school campus in the Leipzig district of Schleußig, whilst also looking to show sustainable handling of resources. Within three months, the timber-framed construction of the learning hub was established and able to offer groups of pupils and teachers a flexible and functional collection of rooms which, spatially, continue with the school's vision of motivating proficiency and inspiration for the world of tomorrow. Despite appearing closed from the outside, the modest cube contains purposefully placed floor-to-ceiling openings which allow a generous admission of daylight. Visible wooden surfaces and the lighting used support the pleasant atmosphere in the rooms. From quiet individual work to teaching small groups, the open-design floor plan allows for a number of different scenarios.

From a room to a circular and unitised building system

The BetaPort modular construction is based on a structurally rigid frame system with a grid of 5.4 m x 5.4 m. The hybrid system combines CLT ceilings with laminated timber beams and supports, enabling large spans and therefore providing a high level of flexibility within the internal space. Specially developed intersection points connect the load-bearing members and supports.

This framework can be filled with different units in the sense of a modular building system – open, closed, as a small unit or a complex structure depending on its use. From the shell to the technical building services and expansion units, the well thought-out logic of the building components also significantly reduces the planning required. It was planned as a temporary construction with TÜV-certified components for which a building application could be submitted to convert it into a permanent building whilst the building is operational. The resulting room systems are both scalable and adaptable and can grow and shrink with their users.

The digital chain of production utilises the potential of the timber structure. AI-supported design tools and an Industry 4.0 production approach combine forward planning and prefabrication with the intelligent processing of materials. The Design for Disassembly approach goes beyond the classic modular construction method. Every component of the building system has been designed to have a number of lifecycles, so that it can be re-combined up to ten times through a flexible and adaptable bolted connection system as finished, individually separable wall, floor and ceiling units. In order to comply with ecological standards and legal requirements, high quality and complete traceability must be guaranteed for the materials used in the building components through quality-controlled material partnerships and digitalised supply chains. This generates a building component eco-system, which supplies detailed information via the connected database about the construction of and materials used for the building components, as well as the operation site and maintenance cycles. By this process, it is possible to trace the materials from their original circulation to the end of their lifecycle.

Schüco in the building envelope

The idea of a circular chain of material is also pursued by Schüco. Thought is already given during product development to the reusability of units right up until their end of life, which is reflected in the current Cradle-to-Cradle certification of 75 profile systems. The aluminium Cradle-to-Cradle-certified systems combine maximum transparency with energy efficiency and therefore make a decisive contribution to the circular economy. For the learning hub at the Leipzig International School, the AWS 75.SI highly thermally insulated aluminium window system and the Schüco AOC 50 TI façade system have been installed on a timber substructure. The timber substructure combines energy-efficient and aesthetically sophisticated construction with more streamlined fabrication and installation. The chosen configuration comprises window units with safety barrier spandrel glazing or balustrades.

Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) are integrated in the glazed areas. Crystalline cells are embedded in the insulating glass as a semi-transparent design. The cells have been creatively arranged in a specific pattern, thereby delivering additional architectural quality. This provides sun shading and at the same time energy is being generated. With the ideal orientation and location, the number of BIPV units installed in this project can generate the same amount of electricity as a family home uses in an entire year.

In the next development stage, the window profiles are integrated in the wooden frames, whereby the interfaces are always the same, irrespective of whether the infill units are opaque or transparent. The new Schüco Perfect window system was chosen for this. It offers a modular and flexible complete solution. Whether it's sun shading and/or a flyscreen, a window sill, safety barrier or threshold, all the options can be replaced individually as well as in various combinations at any given time, even retrospectively. Efficient use of resources turns the learning hub into the raw material warehouse of the future, whose combination of renewable raw materials like wood and robust, durable aluminium constructions can be kept in the material cycle almost indefinitely.

In order to take advantage of the potential for project-specific reductions in CO2 from the level of building components to considering the lifecycle, solutions are being continually developed for the building envelope and its decarbonisation in the modular principle of Schüco Carbon Control.

Building as a service

Instead of constructing buildings using protracted, linear processes, the BetaPort modular system relies upon flexible, recyclable building components with reversible connections. Today, 70% of the learning hub already consists of reused construction materials. The guarantee of return and reutilisation not only allows for swift construction, but also enables a new leasing and financing model. A flexible subscription model and traceability of the components by means of blockchain technology open up the construction system to new service-based business models. The learning hub is being leased for three years initially with an option to buy and a possibility that the temporary building could become a permanent structure.