Technical University of Munich (TUM)

Area: 42,000 sqm gross floor area, 37,900 sqm net interior area, 20 hectares of sports facilities Capacity: 14 sports halls, 12 lecture halls, 15 diagnostic rooms, 5 workshops, 300 offices, cafeteria, library

Light, Freshness, and Generosity

The new campus of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in the Olympic Park is one of the largest wooden buildings in Europe and represents the new distinctive address for the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and the Central University Sports Department. The architecture is designed by the consortium Dietrich | Untertrifaller, Balliana Schubert Landscape Architects, with Vasko+Partner responsible for the building technology planning, measurement and control technology, as well as on-site supervision. The entire complex was realized in two construction phases (BA2 and BA3) while the campus was still in operation.

"Light, freshness, and generosity: The slogan of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games still applies to our design of the TUM campus in the protected Olympic Park of the Bavarian capital. With its elongated shape of 185 meters in length and 153 meters in width, the two-story wooden structure cleverly integrates into the master plan by Behnisch & Partner. The 19-meter cantilevered canopy is a special wooden construction made of prefabricated hollow box elements, which can be installed without elaborate temporary support," explain the architects Dietrich | Untertrifaller.

The building was mainly constructed using wood and glass. Architecturally defining the supposedly largest wooden building in Europe is the 18-meter cantilevered canopy, which extends on the west side of the building over the outdoor terrace and a part of the newly constructed athletics facility. Vasko+Partner was responsible for planning the entire building technology, and project manager Stefan Zisser describes the challenges: "Transporting large air volumes as smoothly and quietly as possible to avoid interfering with the teaching's speech intelligibility and optimizing space requirements posed exciting challenges. Regarding the energy efficiency of the ventilation systems, the latest standards were implemented to ensure economical and resource-friendly construction and operation. The energy concept is based on conventional use of district heating from Munich, but also on the utilization of a specific local resource - namely, groundwater. By using groundwater as a heat source and sink, we tap into an energy potential right on-site for heating and cooling. This is done in conjunction with sophisticated yet straightforward technology. The building's comprehensive underfloor heating provides year-round temperature control in a comfortable and convenient manner. Additionally, the climate cold water generation adheres to the highest ecological standards."

Distinctive Tent Roof Forms

In the public Olympic Park, there are sports facilities, lakes, cycle paths, concert halls, restaurants, and the football stadium with its distinctive tent roof forms. "It was important for us to best meet the diverse requirements of the future users, the Technical University of Munich and the Central University Sports Department. In the bright and lightweight wooden structure, with a maximum span of 30 meters, we have combined the different functions so that sports halls, lecture halls, institutes, diagnostic rooms, cafeteria, and library are all under one roof," explain the architects. The landscape concept connects the buildings with the green sports landscape. In the center is the new athletics facility, which lies directly in front of the main building's outdoor terrace.