Eiden+Lenzner Architekten

SCHUNCK* on tour

SCHUNCK* and the second skin

Having been a family of weavers for many generations the Schunck family were already devoted to
the subject of clothing both as a craft and as a business. The commercial operations were already
lead by Arnold Schunck (1842-1905), founder of the textile business, in a style that was open to
unconventional thinking and with a sense for modern solutions. He learned the craft of weaving in
nearby Aachen.

SCHUNCK* and the third skin

Son Peter Schunck took over the firm in 1908 and recognised the sales-boosting potential in
Bauhaus architecture, still young and unusual at that time, and tasked a Heerlen architect with the
construction of a new commercial building.

The building erected by architect Frits Peutz as a modern steel-reinforced concrete skeleton
construction offered open floor plans on all levels (“marketplace”) and a curtain wall façade (“display
window”) the height of the building for presenting the goods.

SCHUNCK* on tour …

… is a modular exhibition concept that transports the spirit of the Glaspalais [the ‘glass palace’ in
Heerlen] and the family that gave it its name – the Schunck* family.

The existing architectural structure (mushroom stilts, reinforced concrete floors and façade division)
will be implemented as a high-tech version in a transportable scale and dimensioned appropriately
for travel, with the help of the “family product”*.

The transportable pavilion comprises individual modules with dimensions: 4.88m x 2.44m x 2.60m
(LxWxH). Width and height are thus aligned with the size of a standard container. 8 modules yield
95 m2 and a multitude of floor plans for adaptation to different venues and exhibition concepts.

*Textile reinforced concrete is a high-tech material made with fine grain concrete to accept the
compressive forces and high performance fibre reinforcement to take over the flexural strength. Due
to its resistance to corrosion and the three dimensional flexibility of the reinforcement, extremely thin
and light construction components can be manufactured in any form. Very smooth surfaces can also
be achieved as a result of the fine grain of the concrete.

Module

A module of the Schunck* pavilion comprises 4 half mushroom stilts on a square grid that can merge
into the ceiling and floor surfaces as a seamless shell construction. With this the mushroom stilts
remain hollow and simultaneously serve to drain the roof surfaces. The modules will be elevated and
height adjustable and equipped with the standardised connection pieces from container
construction.
The pavilion will be closed to the weather with filigreed steel & glass façades and heavy tarpaulins.
The narrow side of every module can be equipped with a steel & glass element in the style of the
original façade of the Glaspalais. Drapes offer protection from the light and sun. The long sides of
every module can be closed off with tarpaulins.
Just as with the Glaspalais, the pavilion can be freely furnished for exhibitions. The floor construction
enables the integration of uniformly distributed floor boxes for electrical power supply and floor
lighting. Indirect lighting of the mushroom stilts provides the basic lighting. The illumination of
exhibited items is implemented independently with individual lights.

Realisation / Project costs

The Meuse-Rheine Euregio has a huge scientific and creative potential with its countless universities
and colleges and this should be engaged for the realisation of the project. Textile concrete is the
subject of countless research projects such as at the institute of solid construction at the RWTH
Aachen university (collaborative research centre 532) for example. The knowledge gained here could
also be applied to the Schunck* on tour pavilion. The specific requirements, such as connection
points, deformation behaviour during transportation etc., must be investigated and developed in
further investigations. This will be seen as a great opportunity to find sponsors who will view the
project with its international orientation as an attractive investment due to the innovative technology
in conjunction with the pavilion’s modular construction typical to this material.

With exclusive financing through our own resources (budget EUR 50,000) the planned quantity of
modules will be difficult to realise. Through the participation of universities, colleges and sponsors
Schunck* on tour could become an exemplary project.

Here’s to a successful journey!