Lucas Bennett
Die Markthalle des Wissens. FH Aachen (Germany).
To be sure, the field of knowledge exchange has undergone radically significant changes in the past few decades. The stoics established public oratory, Gutenberg revolutionised bookmaking and silicon valley might just be the end of us all. We are a truly blessed generation when it comes to information and its dissemination. “Die Markthalle des Wissens” is an ode to the development of this kind of human ingenuity in that it is the physical catalyst which provides the architectural place for the current and next generation of researchers, teachers and learners to create the solutions for the problems we face today.
By marrying knowledge acquisition and knowledge exhibition, the building has become a hub for knowledge exchange. It is this symbiosis that makes the building so special. An average research team at a university may spend anywhere between 3 - 5 years working on a projekt, at the end of which, the findings are displayed in the great hall for everyone to see and take note. These teams vary in size throughout their research period which is why the actual work spaces are tailored to three specifically sized teams : 3-4, 5-7 and 8-10 persons. Another factor which makes the organisation of the floor plans so special is the obvious lack in hierarchy which leads to a more balanced/focused work environment. All the upper storeys are the same in configuration, boasting an array of public, semi- public and private - which can also be seen in terms of loud, focused and enclosed spaces. All the auxiliary functions find their home in the underground floor while the ground floor has some special uses such as a maker space, lecture rooms and a cafe, to complement the large mensa further south on the campus.
“Die Markthalle des Wissens” embodies the spirit of the early stoics, who worked, thought and taught in public for the benefit of all the people.
SCHUNCK cannot guarantee the correctness of content and expression. The participants themselves are responsible for their entries. The copyright of the projects underlies to the authors, any reproduction or use of the shown material is strictly forbidden.