Viersen District Archive

Based on its dual function, the building is divided into two main sections. The historical archival materials are safely stored in a four-story, windowless magazine cube. Housed in nine separate magazines, they are protected from light and climate fluctuations. This massive core, reminiscent of a historic fortified storehouse, is enclosed by a transparent, single-story surrounding building that emphasizes the public nature of the facility. This largely glazed area accommodates rooms for visitors and staff: Alongside a reading room with an open-access library and classic office workspaces, it features a restoration workshop, an accession area for logging new archival items, and a flexibly divisible room for lectures and group work.

Structurally, the new building was consistently realized according to circular economy principles and planned end-to-end using Building Information Modeling (BIM) to precisely document materials for future deconstruction. In the spirit of urban mining, the facade of the magazine cube consists of reused bricks sourced from regional demolished buildings. The load-bearing structure of the surrounding building was constructed resource-efficiently using timber framing and cross-laminated timber ceilings, while the non-load-bearing interior walls were executed using dry clay construction.

The energy system concept meets the Efficiency House 55 standard and operates entirely without fossil fuels. Its centerpiece is a 200-cubic-meter reinforced concrete ice storage system located underground, which stores heat for the winter and cooling energy for the summer. In combination with heat pumps and a so-called "power roof" that integrates both photovoltaics and solar thermal energy, the workspaces and magazine areas are tempered on demand via underfloor heating.

A widely projecting green roof over the single-story ground floor serves as structural sun protection for the large glass facades of the visitor and work areas. At the same time, it acts as a thermal mass to naturally regulate temperature peaks.

Text: ZAB | Sources: Gebäudeforum klimaneutral, Bauportal des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Landkreistag NRW