System of Freely Addable Mushroom Roof Units
The "Bergstraße" service area was built for the Federal Ministry of Transport and GFN on the new Darmstadt-Heidelberg motorway, near Bensheim. (The service station is the first building of the overall complex, which will also include a rest stop currently in the planning stages.) The facility's technical equipment consists of two 100,000-liter tanks for gasoline and premium gasoline, a 50,000-liter diesel tank with automatic leak detection, and a waste oil storage tank. In addition, six double pumps, one single pump, and a large pump for trucks were installed. The facility is heated by a low-pressure hot water heating system with radiators. The structure consists of mushroom-shaped columns, which are enclosed in masonry around the utility and service areas, while the tank roof remains freestanding. This recurring hexagonal mushroom-shaped steel structure offered the particular advantage of efficient prefabrication. The roof is a warm roof design; drainage is provided through the central columns. The undersides of the mushroom-shaped columns are clad with aluminium panels. They also serve as reflectors for the lighting, so that particularly favorable illumination could be achieved.
