Campus for Design and Art, Architecture

Innovative sculpture made of bricks and textile concrete

[Translate to Englisch:] Foto: Hagemeister

In front of the doors of the Hagemeister brickworks in Nottuln, a free-form pavilion made of clinker bricks attracts the attention of visitors. The brick shell, which was created together with Professor Peter Böhm, architecture students from Trier University of Applied Sciences and the sculptor Martin Kleppe, demonstrates a new design idea through the use of carbon textile and concrete mortar.

Sculptural brick shell with textile concrete support

For several years Hagemeister has supported an endowed professorship of Professor Peter Böhm and his students at the Trier University of Applied Sciences. Within the framework of joint workshops and excursions to the clinker factory, several ideas and products have already been realised - one of these ideas is the clinker pavilion.

Inspired by the work of important architects such as Frei Otto and Eladio Dieste, the basic shape of the pavilion was quickly found. A model was then developed to investigate the interaction of bricks and textile concrete. "We decided on a design that most supports the strength of the clinker and is best realised by us students," says Christoph Heib, responsible architecture student. The special thing about this construction is that it measures a total material thickness of only 7 cm.

The load-bearing, thin shell is perceived purely externally as a pure brick shell. The carbon textile and the concrete mortar remain concealed inside. For Martin Kleppe, sculptor and lecturer, the advantage of the special combination of these building materials is obvious: "The carbon textile does not corrode and you can use it to build very slim shell structures. We have combined this high-performance concrete with the high-strength building material clinker, which can withstand very high compressive loads and is weather-resistant. In the decades to come, the clinker shell will continue to retain its beauty and quality".

The appearance of a " single " brick layer is preserved by using a split clinker with a material thickness of about 3 cm. Its ribbed structure on the inside offers itself as a surface enlargement in order to connect the brick layer as firmly as possible with the mortar layer of the construction. According to statistical calculations, the split clinker bricks were walled with a cross joint and a complex herringbone bond.

Several laboratory tests with test slabs illustrated the compressive and tensile loads that can hit the brick and the textile. This construction can withstand up to 186 tons centered on the point. "The pavilion is constructed in such a way that the static lines of force give way to the shape. The overhang allows the tensile forces, which are also possible in this construction, to become visible," Professor Peter Böhm points out the special design.

To the article on baulinks.de

[Translate to Englisch:] Foto: Hagemeister

04. December 2019 Created by: Dekanat/Hagemeister/baulinks.de