NATIONAL PARK CENTRE
RUHESTEIN

Surrounded by light and nature

Seemingly random building lines – the Black Forest National Park Centre Ruhestein

Lighting designer
Architekten der Sturm und Wartzeck GmbH

Photographer
Henrik Schipper

Location
Ruhestein, Schwarzwald

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The staggered heights of the building elements and the integration of the groups of trees make the different floors come alive. The open rooms give a sense of generous spaciousness, and the clear, bright lines and bright colours make the well-defined structures tangible. The large window facades and glass skylights establish a connection with the Black Forest all round. We only used natural materials and regional timber, such as the native silver fir.

— Birgit Rath (Project Manager in the Pforzheim office of the Landesbetrieb Vermögen und Bau Baden-Württemberg)

Four different basic versions of the LTS Lichtkanal are available. Lichtkanal 060 is a system which allows for direct and indirect lighting. The Lichtkanal profile is the basis and available as a recessed, surface-mounted or suspended variant. It is complemented by light inserts which differ in their output and colour temperature. All lighting requirements can be fulfilled with cleverly designed acrylic glass diffusors, foils or LTS’s patented nanoOptix. The LTS Lichtkanal is always customized and made-to-measure. This system is the perfect lighting solution for everyone.

Bridge for seemingly floating floors

The long and straight building wings are carried by a sophisticated supporting framework and a timber and steel framework construction with minimum supports. The loads are skilfully hidden by using lateral supports in the concrete. The real trick lies in using elements which are originally from bridge construction. This design, which is quite unusual in museum construction, is innovative, impressive and unique.

The spectacular constructional highlights include the observation tower that is inclined by 15 degrees and 34 metres high. It can be reached via the open Skywalk, a truss bridge with a span width of 65 metres. Designed like a bridge girder, the passageway ends in a freestanding observation deck above the treetops of the Black Forest. When the Skywalk was lifted into position, precise calculation to the millimetre was needed. The treetops were spread apart and the free-floating bridge was put in place. The branches closed again over the Skywalk, and now the structure seems to float at a height of 20 metres amidst treetops.

The building is visually more attractive than we originally thought. It feels like walking in the woods, almost touching nature with your sleeves. The tight tolerances with which we planned make it seem like the branches are growing into the Skywalk.

— Jörg Sturm, architect

Als wichtiger Eckpunkt der Nachhaltigkeitszertifizierung steht neben dem hohen Anteil an regenerativen Baustoffen und der Gebäudehülle in Passivhausqualität auch das innovative Technikkonzept. So wird die Erdkälte zur geothermischen Kühlung genutzt, Holz als nachhaltiger Brennstoff eingesetzt und Regenwasser zu Kühlzwecken und als zusätzliche unterirdische Löschwasserzysterne verwendet. LTS unterstützt mit seinen nachhaltigen, langlebigen und energiesparenden Leuchten dieses Nachhaltigkeitskonzept. Durch den niedrigen Stromverbrauch und die lange Lebensdauer senken sich die Betriebskosten und der damit verbundene CO2 Ausstoß. Unter anderem sind die LTS Leuchten durch ihre Materialreduktion ressourcenschonende Strahler. Neben den Einsparungen an Rohstoffen forscht LTS kontinuierlich an der Entwicklung innovativer, nachhaltiger Komponenten und Bauteile. Daher sind die LTS Qualitätsprodukte aus Tettnang im Bodenseekreis auch so stimmig für dieses Projekt.

Ureigene Aufgabe: die Natur Natur sein zu lassen

Für die Umweltbildung, die Vermittlung von Wildniswissen und die Förderung der Naturverbundenheit ist das Nationalparkzentrum Ruhestein zur Besucherinformation eingerichtet worden. Es soll Besucherinnen und Besucher auf informative und unterhaltsame Weise mit den Aufgaben des Nationalparks bekannt machen. Der am 1. Januar 2014 gegründete Nationalpark Schwarzwald umfasst ca. 10.000 Hektar Fläche und ist der erste Nationalpark in Baden-Württemberg.

Between 2015 and 2021, the National Park Centre Ruhestein in the Black Forest was built at 915 metres above sea level. It hosts a spectacular visitor and information centre including an administrative building. The building serves as a hub with a focus on environmental education and follows an unusual guiding principle: It mirrors the structure of the native primeval forest with fallen trees lying on top of each other, also known as deadwood. The exceptional architecture has been cleverly positioned along the Ruhestein pass, and the building wings which are up to 65 metres long imitate the seemingly randomly stacked dead tree trunks. This motif has been applied to the entire building.

During the construction project, particular importance was placed on interfering as little as possible with the surrounding tree population. The complex is surrounded by trees of the Black Forest National Park that deserve particular protection, and it has been integrated so perfectly into the forest as if it were a natural part of it.

A window to the wild nature of the Black Forest

This unique architecture continues in the interior with a total area of 3,200 square metres on four floors. No matter where visitors are standing in the building, they can view the thick forest from the main visual axis which offers different views and perspectives via spacious glass facades and panoramic windows. Direct contact with the forest, from the roots to the treetops, is intentional and can be felt everywhere – be it in the lobby, the functional exhibition rooms or the skywalk. The architects from Sturm und Wartzeck GmbH from Dipperz have brought the connection between wild nature and state-of-the-art architecture to life.

The clear building shapes and structures accommodate both the visitor centre and the national park administration as well as a permanent and temporary exhibition. Clear LTS light lines draw attention to the linearity of the individual areas and emphasize the perfect balance of daylight from the outside and the lighting concept on the inside. The LTS Lichtkanal integrates smoothly into all rooms of the visitor centre. Its long, slim light lines accentuate the eight elongated and futuristic building wings. The stylish and reduced design of the Lichtkanal allows the chosen shapes of modern architecture to show their full effect, deliberately drawing the visitor’s attention to them, depending on how the Lichtkanal is arranged. Individuality is the value most expressed by the Lichtkanal family. Thanks to the specific Lichtkanal configuration, it is possible to consider construction-related specifics while perfectly fulfilling lighting, equipment and control requirements.

In the project the following were used
Lichtkanal 060 | Recessed

Lichtkanal 060 | Recessed

Lichtkanal 060: Architectural light-line suitable for any mounting type. After assembly, a foil is inserted quickly and…
DALIOR
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