Space for free thinking, for encounters and dialogue between teachers, students and the public have been part of Zeppelin University’s ethos since its inception. This has recently been given a further boost by the addition of a new ZF campus building.
An old barracks dating from the 1940s has been incorporated within the ZF building that integrates a sloping site and some of the existing structure. The former barracks yard is overbuilt with a two-storey structure and the rigid corridor system of the U-shaped barracks integrated into a complex network of paths.
The new building adds lecture facilities, administration offices, library, canteen and auditorium and a space for art exhibitions as well as diverse open spaces.
Steel façade and more
As an internal material concept, the contractor agreed on a ‘refined workshop character‘: a lot of visible concrete, screed, black wall panel and timber window sills. The built-in furniture was painted white.
A façade of galvanized steel reinforces the workshop character and harmonizes with the materials of the old building (towed plaster, plain tile). This also references the context of the metalworking industry in the Lake Constance region around Friedrichshafen.
The superstructures on the roof terrace of the new building follow the same design philosophy.
Hot dip galvanized steel plates combine old and new. The new full height roof windows offer panoramic views which sit within galvanized steel frames.
Hot dip galvanized steel plates, 3 mm thick, are mounted within a concealed clasp fitting that connects to a substructure of horizontal and vertical profiles. The galvanized steel façade changes appearance during the day depending on the weather: after rainfall, they appear heavier and almost afford a more porous atheistic. In strong light, they offer a reflective sheen and with long periods of dry weather the galvanized plates look duller, often presenting a stone-like rather than metallic finish.
