Putting value into the workplace

The design for the new Vogelsang depot of AWS Abfallwirtschaft Stuttgart lays an aesthetic and substantial foundation for further developments on the site of Stuttgart West.

On the western outskirts of the state capital, AWS Abfallwirtschaft Stuttgart stores and loads road salt and supplies the municipal winter services with gritting material. At the same time, waste products are temporarily stored on the site and the depot is used to wash the company vehicles and waste containers. It was particularly challenging to stay within the budget, and to arrange the buildings and open spaces on a smaller footprint than previously at the existing facility. Therefore, the layout had to be organised in such a way that the work processes could be streamlined. Upon entering the site via the main entrance from the street “Unter dem Birkenkopf”, there is a low, rectangular functional wing on the right-hand side to the north-east comprising storage areas for waste material, space for dump boxes, a storage room for old bicycles and a garage for loaders as well as an installation area. A small staff area with a toilet, which is insulated and heated, is also available.

Opposite, on the left-hand side, is the much taller main building, which combines the salt store, a loading silo, and a brine production plant under its roof – a first in Germany. Thanks to the spatial organisation, the various work steps from filling to loading the emergency vehicles can be precisely coordinated. This allows a fast and reliable response to weather conditions and the right grit for the situation can be selected. The tarred inner courtyard, which opens up generously at the rear of the site, was designed to facilitate maximum utilisation within the restricted space available. It not only functions as a maneuvering area for silo trains and tipper trucks. The vehicle washing area with a new interceptor is also located there. Behind the salt depot, directly adjacent to the noise protection wall, spaces are provided to park press containers.

The AWS depot features facades made of untreated and unedged wooden planks. They are continued in the soundproofing wall, which has been designed as a steel and timber construction, and thus define the site as a clearly recognizable unit. On the courtyard side, the appearance is characterised by load-bearing concrete members, and sliding gates and doors. All materials extend into the interior spaces, which have been kept simple due to their function as storage and utility areas. Almost all roof surfaces and the front area of the site are greened. Additionally, there is a photovoltaic system on the salt flat storage facility.

On the one hand, the complex brief was met through the necessary pragmatism. In addition, however, the overriding aim of the redesign has always been to add value to the workplace. And in keeping with the guiding principle of highlighting the exceptional in everyday life, the translucent shell of the main building, matching its function, evokes associations with a salt or ice crystal.

The Vogelsang Depot received the Beispielhaftes Bauen 2019-2023 Award from the AKBw, as well as the Sonderpreis Bauwerk at the Industriebaupreis 2022.