With its striking façade of printed glass
and dark natural stone, this new building
designed by Berlin-based architects Staab
clearly stands out from its surroundings.
An elegant combination of textures and colour, the new
library at Potsdam-Golm university has been finished
with both Airtec glass and Airtec stone for a unique and
contrasting aesthetic. The façade pattern consists of natural
stone panels cut to different sizes with a surface layer of
“Angola Black Moonlight“ black granite, bonded to a base of
lightweight concrete.
The distinguished appearance was achieved by alternating a
polished surface with a satin leather finish. The system that
has been used is elegant, lightweight and ventilated – plus
a great rain-screen option. It is also thermally-efficient and
easy to install without visible attachments.
The Airtec system offered an excellent technical basis for combining glass and stone. The stone textures printed onto glass provide glare reduction whilst also blending perfectly with the natural stone panels.
As an exciting contrast to the façade, the architects
selected predominantly light colours for the interior,
accentuated with a restrained design concept with the
emphasis on the materials used. The whole project covered
6,000m2 in total with sophisticated system technology
installed throughout.