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House of Astronomy

House of Astronomy

Highlight • Monument

House of Astronomy

Recommended by 83 mountain bikers out of 92

This Highlight is in a protected area

Please check local regulations for: Naturpark Neckartal-Odenwald

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Location: Baden-Württemberg, Germany

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Best Mountain Biking Routes to House of Astronomy

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1. Flow Trail to Gaiberg – Grass Path Trail loop from Gaiberg

10.3km

00:54

230m

Easy mountain bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Suitable for all skill levels.

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2. Michaelsbrunnen – Grass Path Trail loop from Meckesheim

47.4km

03:08

550m

Intermediate mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

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Sabin'

September 12, 2023

The extraordinary new building, which was developed in the shape of a spiral galaxy at the client's request, found its place next to the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy MPIA and the State Observatory on the 550 m high Heidelberg Königstuhl. Both institutions are involved in the operation of the building. In this way, the Heidelberg astronomers can bundle their public relations work in the House of Astronomy and directly implement the exchange of knowledge between local scientists and interested citizens at a central location. “The House of Astronomy is intended to build a bridge from active research to schools,” says founder Klaus Tschira.

To develop the shape of the building, the architects first experimented with a self-created computer model of a spiral galaxy. They found traces of the movement and connection of the celestial bodies from which they derived the architectural form.

The almost column-free building rests only on eight pillars, two staircase cores and a dome made of prefabricated reinforced concrete elements. The floor levels are rotated around the center. The curvature of the galaxy's tails increases steadily toward the center. The winding spiral arms with the useful levels are offset by half a storey and also support the building's rotation around the core. Cross-references between the rooms of the two spiral arms allow visitors and users to freely experience the unusual building shape. The center of the House of Astronomy is the planetarium, a multifunctional lecture hall equipped with the latest multimedia technology. In addition to the classic, digital planetarium use, lectures with images and 3D visualizations of astronomical observations can also be impressively shown here. In the two spiral arms of the building there are, among other things, specially equipped internship and teaching rooms as well as offices.

The facade is divided into alternating bands of glass and metal. The metal parapet strips determine the shape of the entire building thanks to their geometric shape, each consisting of three seventh-degree curves that vary from one another. None of the edges are parallel to any other. While the height of the glazed facade bands decreases towards the center, the proportion of the double-curved metal facade increases. This means that the galaxy is not implemented as a two-dimensional image, but rather as a spatial structure of orbits. The entire metal facade consists of 392 different individual parts, up to 4.50 m long and 1.50 m wide, which are spherically curved and bent up to three times. None of the parts have a right angle.

The facade elements were completely prefabricated in South Tyrol and assembled in Heidelberg within just three weeks. The metal surfaces were coated with a dirt-repellent nano-lacquer technology in order to keep the facade free of environmental influences in a particularly sustainable manner.

The sustainable energy concept uses geothermal energy as an emission-free and climate-friendly energy source. To heat and, above all, cool the building, 19 geothermal probes were installed to a depth of 170 m. In addition, the building has controlled room ventilation with heat recovery of >80%, extensive green roof areas for water retention and re-evaporation and external sun protection with daylight control, which reduces summer heat loads.

Due to its highly efficient energy balance, the building was awarded a German Energy Efficiency Award at the construction fair in Munich in 2013 and a European Energy Efficiency Award in Dublin in 2014.

(Source: bp-da.de/de/projekte/projekte/hda.php (Bernhardt and Partner Architects)

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Martin (Bulldog)

April 8, 2024

Looks extremely futuristic

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 560 m

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Wednesday 29 October

15°C

11°C

10 %

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Max wind speed: 8.0 km/h

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Location: Baden-Württemberg, Germany

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House of Astronomy

1. Flow Trail to Gaiberg – Grass Path Trail loop from Gaiberg

2. Michaelsbrunnen – Grass Path Trail loop from Meckesheim

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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