Pink tube

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The Pink Tube 2017: “A fat pink maggot that crawls through a bright blue box on stilts.” Deutschlandfunk

The popularly known pink tube (officially Umlauftank 2 - UT2 ) is a circulating flow channel of the Research Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Shipbuilding of the Technical University of Berlin . It forms an intersection between architecture, industrial construction, machines and scientific equipment. The building is on the lock island in the Landwehr Canal on Müller-Breslau-Strasse in Berlin-Charlottenburg , at the western tip of the zoo . The building has been a listed building since 1995 .

history

In the first plans around 1900, the location for the research institute for hydraulic engineering and shipbuilding was planned on the edge of the imperial horse square. When this plan was presented to Kaiser Wilhelm II , he thwarted it with a single stroke of the pen and noted over it: "My riding arena remains". The experimental plant was finally built at today's location, on the island in the canal. The research facility was founded in 1903. At the instigation of Kaiser Wilhelm II, a building with internal flow channels was built. In 1927–1930 the building received its first renovation. A hydraulic engineering laboratory was built on the south side, the so-called "south hall", which looks out over the river with large arched windows. In 1961–1964, the extension to the water circulation canal took place, which was completed in 1969–1974. The building, erected between 1968 and 1974, was designed by the architect Ludwig Leo , the engineer involved was Christian de Boes. It was Leo who chose the striking pink color scheme. The building was already listed as a historical monument during his lifetime. In 1975 the plant went into operation.

architecture

Semicircular brick building as the end point of the Channel Island

A semicircular brick building with a surrounding ribbon of windows protrudes into the Landwehr Canal at one end of the building. The horizontally elongated clinker buildings accommodate the conventional towing gutters. The institute's rooms are below. The circulating canal is enthroned above it, and its unusual architecture is striking. The circulation pipe penetrates a laboratory building. The measuring stands are staggered over five decks on the circulation channel. The cube and tube are held in place by a welded steel structure made of double T-beams , which stands on a 4.2 m high reinforced concrete base . It is presumed that Leo deliberately built the building a few meters higher than the nearby Charlottenburger Tor, which was misused by the National Socialists for representative purposes .

PU foam was used in the outer lining of the tube and cube to insulate against temperature fluctuations. The 17 mm sheet steel skin of the tube was coated with a 4 cm thick layer of PU foam and simply painted over with paint several times. The pipe of the circulation channel turned pink, while the box-shaped laboratory is clad in blue with aluminum plates. Inside, the decks are reminiscent of ship engine rooms, with floors and supports in dark green, ceilings and walls in white. Two decks provide a view of the test field from two surrounding galleries.

Stylistically, the architecture of the 1970s building belongs to the post-war modern and international avant-garde - or, as Deutschlandfunk describes it: "[The circulation tank is] an icon of Pop Art architecture, if there was such a category." There was a postmodern playfulness far from the architect. The term poetic rigor is more appropriate than the expressiveness of the clear building functions. In the style of the brutalism of the 50s, the building does not hide its function, but prominently expresses it. The narrow plot of land was completely built on before Leo's expansion. The architect designed the circulation pipe vertically instead of horizontally. It is thanks to this arrangement that it looks like an “urban sculpture” today.

Peter Cook puts the pink tube on a par with the Vienna Secession building or the Darmstadt wedding tower . The Einstein Tower in Potsdam is also mentioned as comparable .

Redevelopment

Damaged surface quality before renovation (2012)

Although the building has been a listed building since 1995, it was in poor structural shape in the mid-2000s: chipped PU foam , vegetation, faded colors, rusted metal panels, weathered windows. Changed ownership and an uncertain future in use pushed a repair into the unknown. The TU itself could no longer afford the maintenance. In 2001/02, the Board of Trustees therefore decided to close the facility, with the condition that current orders be completed by summer 2007. Management and construction maintenance were listed as vacant. A demolition seemed conceivable.

In 2012 a feasibility study was carried out for basic repair options. The main focus of the work was on evaluating the building fabric, supporting structure, building services, building physics, fire protection and pollutants. From a static point of view, it had to be ensured that the building structure and material can continue to absorb the vibrations caused by the tests without damage. From 2014 to 2017, the building was renovated by architect HG Merz on behalf of the Wüstenrot Foundation . The office of adb Ewerien und Obermann, which specializes in monument preservation, was also involved. The foundation declared the building to be a “post-war building worthy of protection” and the premise was to preserve the building “as authentically as possible”, says Philip Kurz, Managing Director of the Wüstenrot Foundation.

The measures also included repairing the outer surfaces and waterproofing the roof. A lot of material research was possible - and necessary - on the building during the renovation. For parts of the renovation, basic restoration research had to be carried out with materials from post-war modernism, for example for plastic and metal surfaces or the pink-sprayed PU foam. There were signs of separation of the PU foam from the otherwise almost stainless steel pipe. Despite the damage, the foam still fulfilled its insulating function. The foam was repaired at certain points. A PU overspray made of the same material, but now environmentally friendly, provided an even top layer. The original pink color was determined for the protective coating of the foam surface. Then an environmentally friendly paint was produced based on an aqueous acrylate dispersion. The paint layer was applied by hand using the airless method , just like the original coating.

The sandwich panels of the laboratory hall, originally coated in blue on the outside, had turned gray over the years. For a precise analysis, the panels were tested using the eddy current method. Condensation damage on the inside of the outer panels had led to unexpectedly severe corrosion . Almost the entire facade was given new sandwich panels. These were produced in almost identical form by the same company in the 1970s, Hoesch AG .

The inside of the laboratory hall was restored without removing any signs of aging. In order to preserve the authenticity, it was decided not to paint over the striking green inside. New windows and fire protection measures were installed. Asbestos removal was necessary in the stairwell .

In addition, the technical circulation system including the engines, various auxiliary units, conveyor systems, ring pipelines and the movable floor were overhauled. This repair was the responsibility of the TU Berlin and the fluid system dynamics and dynamics of maritime systems departments.

The repair was accompanied by a separate exhibition in Berlin , Stuttgart and London entitled "Ludwig Leo Detail". The total sum of the renovation measures was 3.5 million euros. The most expensive item was the structurally and technically extremely complex framework. It had to float on the facade because the building is on the shore of the island. The TU undertook to continue to use the building for research. In short: "The renovation will be both: a great benefit for the preservation of monuments and for research."

use

At the beginning of the 2000s, the use of the facility was uncertain. Advances in computer simulation challenged its use. The technical utilization was reduced to a minimum. In 2007 only three employees were involved in processing. At times it was even empty. Only after the renovation was the course set new and operations resumed.

There are 80 of these circulation tanks worldwide, four in Germany, of which this is the largest. The building contains a closed circuit, the water circulation canal, on which a five-storey test hall is enthroned. The entire building is 30.8 m high, the pipe loop is 120 m long and holds 3,300 t of water.

The pink tube is considered to be the world's largest recirculation tank, with a depth of up to 3 m, a width of 5 m and a measuring section of 11 m. The water flow in the pink tube is generated by two marine diesel engines . The 2,750 hp drives are housed in a separately accessible nacelle with silencers. The water can be accelerated to ten meters per second. The conventional circulating tank can also be operated as a cavitation tank with a free water surface and adjustable bottom.

Ship models up to nine meters long can be inserted into the tube using an elevator. The Technical University uses this for experiments with six to seven meter ship models. For example, resistance or drive power are tested. The university uses the circulation tank not only for experiments with ship models, but also for resistance, free travel, propulsion or maneuvering experiments as well as for flow observation. The Boeing company has experimented with hydrofoils here . The aerodynamic locomotion of penguins was also examined here by scientists. Simulations with swell are carried out in the 8 × 120 m large shallow water basin, further tests in the 250 × 8 m large trough. There is a lock island in the outdoor area.

The functional control panel comes from the 1970s. Modern measurement technology is connected via a laptop.

The pink tube should serve as "a kind of think tank for shipping technology" ( Christine Ahren, First Vice President of the TU Berlin : Berliner Abendblatt ). School classes should also be allowed to visit the facility.

literature

  • Andreas Ruby: The imagery of forms. The circulation canal of the research institute for hydraulic engineering and shipbuilding by Ludwig Leo. In: Peter-Klaus Schuster: The XX. Century. A century of art in Germany. Architecture in Berlin. Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-87584-869-1
  • A book about the repair of the pink tube will be published in spring 2020 [out of date] . It is dedicated to Ludwig Leo's planning point of view, the social framework conditions of architectural design and the role of monument protection for modern buildings. With numerous illustrations.

Web links

Commons : Versuchsanstalt für Wasserbau und Schiffbau Berlin  - Collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Christiane Habermalz: The comeback of the pink tube. Refurbishment of the circulation tank 2. In: deutschlandfunkkultur.de. Deutschlandradio, November 26, 2017, accessed on February 1, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h circulation tank 2 from Ludwig Leo in Berlin. In: wuestenrot-stiftung.de. Wüstenrot Foundation, accessed on February 18, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Andreas Gandzior: The secret of the gigantic "Pink Tube" in Berlin. In: morgenpost.de. Berliner Morgenpost GmbH, January 5, 2014, accessed on January 25, 2020 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Christian Brensing, Elisabeth Plessen: Research institute for hydraulic engineering and shipbuilding in Berlin. Threatened by disinterest. In: db-bauzeitung.de. db deutsche bauzeitung, May 3, 2007, accessed on February 14, 2020 .
  5. ↑ a b Ralf Schönball: Millions for the pink tube. In: Tagesspiegel Online. Verlag Der Tagesspiegel GmbH, November 22, 2013, accessed on February 1, 2020 .
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h Research Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Shipbuilding (VWS). In: berlin.de. Landesdenkmalamt Berlin, accessed on February 14, 2020 .
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Brigitte Schmiemann: After the renovation: The "pink tube" stands out again. In: morgenpost.de. Berliner Morgenpost GmbH, November 24, 2017, accessed on January 22, 2020 .
  8. ↑ a b Karen Noetzel: “A cheeky part”: The Wüstenrot Foundation renovated the circulation tank 2 on the lock island. In: berliner-woche.de. Berlin Week, November 30, 2017, accessed on February 17, 2020 .
  9. ↑ a b c d e Thomas Wieckhorst: Pink tube: Umlauftank 2 of the TU Berlin renovated. In: bauhandwerk.de. Bauverlag BV GmbH, October 2018, accessed on February 16, 2020 .
  10. ↑ a b Maurice Wojach: What actually happens in this pink tube? In: maz-online.de. MAZ - Märkische Allgemeine, November 26, 2017, accessed on February 16, 2020 .
  11. ↑ dr: New old clothes. In: db-bauzeitung.de. db deutsche bauzeitung, February 2, 2018, accessed on February 14, 2020 .
  12. ↑ a b c d Katja Reichgardt: Research is being carried out again in the “Pink Tube”. In: Abendblatt-berlin.de. Berliner Abendblatt, 2017, accessed on February 17, 2020 .

Coordinates: 52 ° 30 ′ 44.3 "  N , 13 ° 20 ′ 0.5"  E