The new ‘Mensa’ student canteen building at the University of Applied Sciences in Landshut, Bavaria, forms part of the entrance ensemble to the campus. It complements the main administration building, which has a strong street-facing aspect, by having a transparent facade opening onto a plaza and pond between the two – leading from the street into the interior of the campus. It is a low-profile wooden building with a green roof that projects over a patio with outdoor seating by the pond. The total recreation zone has an area of 2835 m2.
The indoor canteen space with a floor area of almost 600 m2 is divided into three sections; it can seat 400 people, and the canteen can serve up to 1400 meals per day. Outside of mealtimes, students can use the space to study. It can also be used as a venue for conferences, concerts and even as a distinguished location for exclusive gala events.
In this case, using Kielsteg for the roof structure has contributed an essential aspect to the formal design of the building, and is also a key to its flexibility of use. Visually, the roof appears as a thin, wide plane floating over an open space. This is possible because of Kielsteg’s high loadbearing performance, covering wide spans at a very low element height.
The new canteen, which is operated by the student services organization for Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate, takes its place as one of the most modern buildings of its type in the German university sector.
Thermal/climate concept
In this case, the green roof acts as a thermal storage mass for the building.
Photovoltaic and green roof
The combination of green roof with a photovoltaic array is synergistic: evaporation from the roof cools the solar panels, which improves their performance.
Solar concept
The shape and alignment of the building were consciously designed to provide shade to a certain area.
Copy right: POS architects_Photo by Peter Litvai
