BROWN
ARCHITECTS
Striking facade and sustainable energy concept
The Medicenter Uedem is a successful prototype of future medical local care. The striking cuboid with its lightweight façade has little in common with the usual medical centers. The new building impresses with sophisticated details and its energy concept.
Simple and clear geometries, skeletal construction, natural materials and a sustainable energy concept form the basis of our design. The interior concept is clear, reduced and puristic, radiating calm and comfort at the same time. Nothing reminiscent of a medical facility. The premises look more like a modern museum or a wellness area. That's the way it should be, after all, visits to the doctor are rarely pleasant, a calm atmosphere is good.
The building shell consists of untreated wooden pillars set at different distances. The construction of the lightweight façade is a skeletonized structure made of reinforced concrete.
It gives the cube its unmistakable character and serves as a sun filter: enough daylight falls through the floor-to-ceiling ribbon windows, yet the building does not heat up. The insulation percentage is 80%, the shell is windproof. Such walls can be far cheaper and more efficient than load-bearing structures.
The windows are designed as affordable triple glazing. The decisive factor here is to keep the glass surface as large as possible and the frame portion small. This minimizes heat loss. The heating requirement of the entire building is only 28.27 kW. This enables the use of an inexpensive heat pump in combination with a geothermal field, which saves additional energy. The underfloor heating also contributes to the sustainable concept.
We are particularly proud of the "natural cooling concept". In summer, the system absorbs heat and stores it in the floor. This allows the heat extraction from the geothermal field in winter to be compensated for. We have installed a photovoltaic system on the flat roof, which almost completely covers our own electricity needs.
An important aspect of all our projects is the use of authentic, natural materials. Everything should be as recyclable or dismantling as possible. This protects the environment and saves resources. This is also a contribution to sustainable and economical construction.
