Having won an international competition in 1992, Professor Marg of gmp Architekten invited Ian Ritchie Architects to collaborate with IPP Ingenieurbüro and HL-Technik to conceive, design and help realise the huge glass ‘winter garden’ – the centrepiece of the new Leipzig International Exhibition Centre.
© Ian Ritchie Architects
“A design dialogue with Ian inspires creativity. He is humorous, calm and shows no sign of vanity in the process of producing beautiful results. If architecture is the synthesis of function, construction and interpretation, then Ian is its personification in his trinity of engineer, architect and artist.”
“A design dialogue with Ian inspires creativity. He is humorous, calm and shows no sign of vanity in the process of producing beautiful results. If architecture is the synthesis of function, construction and interpretation, then Ian is its personification in his trinity of engineer, architect and artist.”
© Ian Ritchie Architects
The glass hall, constructed in 10 months, is 244m long, 80m wide and 35m high at the apex – the world’s largest single volume glass building – enclosing 400,000m3 of space and nearly 30,000m2 of glazing. It includes four separate single storey stone faced buildings for catering, shopping and cloakroom facilities. There is a designated central performance area, and reception, relaxation and meeting areas for conference delegates. Six bridges run through and across the hall 5m above the main floor level. Outside they are enclosed in openable curved glass, linking it with the exhibition halls and conference centre. A further bridge links the glass hall with the other entrance pavilion across a water landscape.
© LeipzigerMesse gmbH
“I enjoyed the cooperation because of Ian Ritchie’s charm and wit, his extraordinary spatial imagination and the fact that he governs glass technique to perfection.”
“I enjoyed the cooperation because of Ian Ritchie’s charm and wit, his extraordinary spatial imagination and the fact that he governs glass technique to perfection.”
Concept inking in colour
The design concept achieved simplicity of construction with elegance and economy, allowing the glass hall to exist as a filigree shell within the site’s central landscape. Its vaulted structure is composed of an external orthogonal single layer moment-connected grid shell of uniform tube diameter stiffened by primary arches at 25m centres. The envelope is composed of fully toughened low-iron PPG starphire® 8/8mm laminated glass panels 1.5m x 3.125m, suspended 0.5m below the grid shell from cast steel arms, and includes 2,000 m2 of glass louvre perimeter ventilation and glass fire escape exits at low level, and 1,000m m2 of “butterfly” openings at high level for ventilation/smoke extract. Entrances are located in both end walls, and include pivoting glass doors to provide a 5x 5m high opening for trucks and rigging.
Ian Ritchie’s concept sketch of the grid shell to glass relationship
Ian Ritchie’s concept sketch of the glass fixing
Ian Ritchie’s concept sketch of the grid shell to glass relationship
“The Glasshalle in Leipzig is the place to come to the light, the incredible feeling of lightness, the showroom for innovation. Ian Ritchie and his ideas made it possible. Thanks to him and Volkwin Marg.”
“The Glasshalle in Leipzig is the place to come to the light, the incredible feeling of lightness, the showroom for innovation. Ian Ritchie and his ideas made it possible. Thanks to him and Volkwin Marg.”
Leipzig Glass Hall main elements
© Ian Ritchie Architects
The thermal comfort is achieved largely by natural means. In summer, opening vents and zones of white fritting on the glass maintain a controlled environment. During exceptionally hot weather de-ionised water is run through fog nozzles over the glass vault. In winter, underfloor heating maintains a minimum internal temperature of 8ºC at 2m above ground level when the outside temperature is -10 ºC. Perimeter heating counteracts downdraughts and eliminates condensation.
The construction of the glass hall was completed in 1995 at a cost of DM60million, which was DM20 million below budget. The New Leipzig Messe opened in April 1996 and was celebrated with the issue of a special German postage stamp.
Movie
Awards:
2000 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award
1998 German Steel Construction Award – Distinction
1997 German Building of the Year
1996 Saxony State Award for Architecture and Construction
Project Credits
Appointment: 1993
Completion: 1995
Area: 20,000m2 Ground Floor Area ; volume 400,000m3: 2,100m2 Link Bridges
Architects: gmp Architekten (von Gerkan, Marg und Partner) + Ian Ritchie Architects
Client: Leipzig Neue Messe
Structural Engineer: IPP Ingenieurbüro (Köln)
Quantity Surveyor: gmp Architekten assisted by Ian Ritchie Architects
Services Engineer: HL-Technik Ag (Munich)
Landscape Architect: Wehberg Lange Eppinger Schmidtke (Hamburg)
Robotics (External Glass Cleaning): Iff Fraunhofer Inst. (Magdeburg)
Website: httpshttps://www.leipziger-messe.com/
Books
Limited signed edition of 250 presented in a blue sleeve. It contains a fully bound illustrated description of concept together with the construction technique and details on 39 fold-out plates of the contractors’ construction drawings printed on cartridge.
There is also a boxed set of loose folded drawings with the full text and photographs. And a pocket book 11x11cm pp96 including concept drawings, photographs, and statistics.
All available to purchase from Ian Ritchie Architects:
https://www.ianritchiearchitects.co.uk/literature/the-leipzig-glass-hall/
https://www.ianritchiearchitects.co.uk/literature/the-biggest-glass-palace-in-the-world/
Article and film courtesy of Architects gmp and Ian Ritchie Architects Ltd.