As part of our master's lecture on masonry structures, we visited Darmstadt's landmark, the Mathildenhöhe.

Schlier Ingenieure, who planned and supervised the structural renovation of the Mathildenhöhe for many years, and the director of the Mathildenhöhe Institute showed us the exciting engineering, architectural, and historical background of this unique cultural monument, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021.

We saw the historic water reservoir in the basement, whose overlapping vaulted structure is an impressive example of vaulting art. The water circulation in the reservoir keeps the temperature and humidity in the exhibition building constant over the years. During the most recent renovation, the circulation system was upgraded with new technologies. At the same time, the outer wall of the masonry structure was covered with a new thermal insulation material called aerogel. All of this ensures a pleasant indoor climate. Especially during the heat wave and with an outside temperature of 35 °C on the day of our visit, the temperature difference and comfort in the exhibition building compared to the outside was clearly noticeable. We then visited the interior of the exhibition building, learned about the renovation and reinforcement of the roof structure, and received interesting information about the building's history, architectural background, and the exhibited works of art.

At the end of the tour, we climbed the Wedding Tower and gained a deep insight into the reinforcement of the wall and roof structure and were able to admire the beautiful surrounding landscape from there.

This excursion allowed us to deepen what we had learned theoretically during the semester and learn a lot about the practical implementation of construction projects.

The Institute for Solid Structures would like to thank Schlier Ingenieure and the Mathildenhöhe Institute for the exciting and informative guidance, and all participating students for their interest!