MenoMenoPiu Architects’ Bauhaus Museum is Topped with Solar Panels

The German government held an architecture competition recently to immortalize the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus" target="_blank">Bauhaus Movement</a> with a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/6-new-inspiring-sustainable-museums-you-must-see-now/" target="_blank">new museum</a> in Weimar, and this airy, solar-powered building was awarded an honorable mention. Designed by <a href="http://www.mmpaa.eu/" target="_blank">MenoMenoPiu Architects</a> the multifunctional museum would allow the community to use the space in many ways. The new museum will replace a temporary Bauhaus museum that was built in 1995.

This location gives the museum the unique opportunity to program versatile community activities both inside and outside of the building. The museum, which is a light filled glass box structure, is covered by a massive square brise soleil roof. This unifies the museum with the surrounding plaza, and also filters sunlight, providing shade for both.

The competition for the <a href="http://www.das-bauhaus-kommt.de/en/siegerentwurf.php" target="_blank">Bauhaus Museum in Weimar</a> was not only conceived the find a permanent home for the museum, but also as a way to help redevelop the area chosen. Seeking a flexible design, the Klassik Stiftung Weimar Foundation plans to develop a kindergarten adjacent to the museum, as well as develop the grounds around it as a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/romanian-bastion-transformed-into-green-roofed-public-center/" target="_blank">public plaza</a>.

MenoMenoPiu Architects’ project integrates an open square around the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/grimshaw-breaks-ground-on-miami-science-museum-that-will-be-its-own-living-exhibit/" target="_blank">museum</a>, located in an optimal intersection of Weimar, where the older section meets the new city, which meets a park.

The interplay of light with the textured roof cover casts patterned shadows, which the architects intended to reflect the work of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/architect-recycles-rubber-bands-into-bauhaus-inspired-dress/" target="_blank">Bauhaus</a> artist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Albers" target="_blank">Josef Albers</a>.

The cover also allows for flexible renovations in the future, making a basis for new or temporary structures to be installed underneath. <a href="http://inhabitat.com/pics-the-montreal-center-for-sustainable-development-boasts-a-lush-vertical-garden-and-green-roof/" target="_blank">Sliding shades</a> along the museum’s glass curtains can be adjusted to block solar gain at different times throughout the year. The roof is also covered with <a href="http://inhabitat.com/a-architects-design-sustainable-modular-lightweight-houses-for-malaysia/" target="_blank">photovoltaic panels</a>, powering 60% of the museum’s needs everyday.

MenoMenoPiu’s winning entry combines the aesthetic and ideals of the Bauhaus movement, meshing flawlessly with <a href="http://inhabitat.com/futuristic-blade-runner-style-liverpool-department-store-opens-in-mexico-city/" target="_blank">urban development</a> and green technology.