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Conveniently located near the centre of Groningen, the Infoversum cannot be overlooked. It is a building that makes one curious and that needs to be explored. Never before have so many different fields of expertise, goals and techniques successfully been combined in one design. A building that gives science, business and cultural activities alike a home for public. It is a unique place where sharing information about our surroundings and innovations for a more sustainable environment is stimulated. A visit to the Infoversum is more than just a night on the town. Visitors are guided along on a special journey through the universe or the extraordinary architecture of the Infoversum. Every room in the building surprises challenges and contributes to the overall experience. The routing through the building follows the organic design and exposes the visitor to the ever-changing way the light interacts with its surroundings. It’s a 3D building that interacts. There are two main routes in the building. The routes will not interact with each other. The first route is important for the functioning of the theatre. Visitors who enter the building and visitors who leave the building will not cross each other. The first route leads to the dome-theatre and ends at the exit or again in the entrance when we need a loop for seminars. The second route is to the foyer or the inforoof entertainment. This route will not cross the dome-theatre. After entering through the glass main entrance (where the skin opens), visitors find themselves in the infowave. Located on the first floor in the globe and give space to an interactive area with visually stimulating digital presentations. The globe of course is the heart of the building, and attracts all the attention to itself. In the steel globe one can still see the special construction techniques being used and the actual shape of the outer layers. The flexible design therefore leads visitors quite naturally to the dometheatre, where the seats can tilt back to get a good view of the 3D projections. While some visitors enjoy the films on the 20 meters big domescreen, others may be in awe by the natural light that flows over the dome and constantly sets the foyer in a different light. The outdoor platform, the Inforoof, makes the visitor part of a universal show. Or visit a concert while one can see projections on the outside of the dome, those digital images cannot be seen apart from the dynamics of the building and the skies above Groningen. In order not to disturb the unique and living design of ‘the eye’ or ‘the UFO’, as people already call the Infoversum, components such as drainage, emergency doors and cables are hidden in the skin itself. The windows for example, are placed behind the creatively placed perforations in the steel plates. These perforations and the light that flows through the skylights create a wonderful lightshow inside the building. The Infoversum is not only the first full dome theatre in The Netherlands, it is also an innovative project with a focus on sustainability, leading science, culture and architecture alike into a new era with its special 3D projections and its 3D design. It looked like an awesome hybrid between a ship and a spaceship, dominated by a giant dome, city citizen say. It makes one curious and needs to be explored. It’s an experience! The Infoversum is part of a local project that encourages its participants to explore the potential of a temporary building or even innovative architectural constructions. Even though it is designed as a temporary building, the Infoversum will most likely outlive this project.
Archiview found his inspiration early on by using techniques normally used in the ship-building industry and by searching for appropriate recycled materials. With his thought provoking design he visualized the philosophy behind the Infoversum in a breath taking way. Archiview (architect) and the Central Industry Group (shipbuilder), both located in Groningen spent a long time investigating different ways to incorporate the specific quality of building materials into innovative 3D concepts for contemporary buildings by using ship-building techniques. What they discovered to be feasible opens up a whole new world of design possibilities. The monocoque method allowed them to construct a design without interruptions of the open atmosphere or its organic shape. The soft lines used to shape the outside of the building can also be revisited inside. Their special attention to the routing through the building, the passageways and the philosophy behind the Infoversum, led to an innovative and exciting end result. The rusty shell is one piece without dilatation. It’s more a sculpture. Using the self-supporting capacity of the skin and the unique qualities of the materials used in the design in such a playful way is not yet common in the construction industry. But with the Infoversum, archiview and the CIG prove that innovative ideas about form and function now can become a reality. The 83 corten steel plates form the outer skin, each a different shape and only welded together on the construction site. The outer skin and the construction of the inside together form a coherent whole, with rafters welded directly onto the outer layer. In time the steel plates will get a beautiful rusty layer, to protect the material underneath from the elements, meanwhile changing the appearance of the building. Color or texture the building. The building changes day by day in appearance colour and texture. The rusty cortensteel sprankles in the sunshine and is dark brown when it rains. To make it stand out more, the dome is coated white, which gives it an artistic appearance showcasing the impressive Dutch skies. It’s bright in the blue sky. It’s disappearing when it’s cloudy. Or reflecting the surroundings in the sun. At night, projection on the outer dome gives it a new texture. Although the materials are hard the building is touchable.
Archiview
Infoversum is unique, not only because of its fluent design and the unusual shipbuilding techniques being used, the exploratory and inviting role it will play in the community also make it special.
Edwin A. Valentijn, Professor in Astronomical Information Technology at the University of Groningen, was asked to make science more accessible for the general public. He initiated what we now know as the Infoversum. Jack van der Palen, architect at archiview, was asked to design an attractive - must see - building located on a creative temporarily strip in Groningen.
Infoversum gives extensive auxiliary space for artificial intelligence, astronomy, culture, education, art, science and business in a crossing border concept. Bringing digital shows to a large audience through true 3D immersive visualization on a full dome. Full-dome theaters are complex environments and technologies are evolving. The building is an experience and routing is important for the crossing border functions.
