InformatiKOM
The eye-catcher of the main building is the multi-colored façade made of aluminum slats powder-coated with IGP-HWFclassic 59 with a pearl mica effect. Like the plumage of a peacock, the metallic coloring creates a different visual effect depending on the light.
Since spring 2020, the Klaus Tschira Foundation has been building the “InformatiKOM” consisting of two institute buildings at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). After three years of construction, the two buildings InformatiKOM 1 and 2 will in future bring together institutes of computer science with science communication and applied arts facilities in one place.
Facts
Project details
Multicolored Shimmering Louver Facade as an Eye-Catcher
The main building, named InformatiKOM 1, consists of a polygonal base that extends over the first three floors. Above it, a square structure rises. A continuous five-story atrium connects the two volumes as the heart of the building. A translucent foil roof ensures that daylight penetrates deep into the interior of the building.
The eye-catcher of the new institute building is its multicolored, finely segmented facade. A vertical louver structure made of slender aluminum rectangular tubes spans the highly insulated post-and-beam construction, which is divided by fixed glazing and opaque opening wings. The vertical louvers not only serve an aesthetic purpose but also support summer heat protection. "This outer skin reduces the usage duration of sun protection systems like louver blinds. As a result, users have a clearer view outside," explains Martin Gross, team leader in facade planning at Werner Sobek AG in Stuttgart, who supervised the project.
A Different Optical Effect Depending on the Light
The louvers, powder-coated with IGP-HWFclassic 59, are arranged alternately in five color tones. A total of 1,740 kg of IGP powder was used for the project, including items from IGP-HWFclassic 5903ES7. The color tones, applied both inside the building and on the facade, are intended to convey neutrality and calmness, as well as warmth and transparency. To ensure the facade does not reflect too strongly, the client, architects, and facade planners agreed on a "Pearl Glitter, matte" finish from IGP Powder Coatings. Like the feathers of a peacock, the pearl glitter gives the louvers a metallic shimmer that reveals a different optical effect depending on the incidence of light.
The architectural images were provided by the photographer Swen Carlin.
