In autumn 2021, a devastating fire broke out in a bus depot belonging to the local public transport provider in Stuttgart-Gaisburg. The analysis showed that the ventilation openings, although planned in accordance with the regulations, did not provide sufficient heat and smoke extraction for such a fire.
In order to prevent major damage in the event of another fire, the system is divided into 6 double modules with 2 single modules each. The double modules are separated by a passageway in the longitudinal direction and by fire lanes in the transverse direction. Fire walls in the longitudinal direction separate the individual modules from each other, while the short sides are open. The individual module roofs consist of lenticular wooden roofs, spanned by a tension band. The charging infrastructure for the e-buses is located on these. The timber roofs are planked with laminated veneer lumber and designed as a green roof, supplemented with a PV system. A membrane is stretched between the timber elements, which melts in the event of fire and allows smoke and heat to dissipate. This prevents the fire from spreading to the neighboring modules. As the timber roofs are connected to each other via edge beams, the forces from the membrane are short-circuited. Due to the under-tensioning of the timber arches, predominantly vertical loads are transferred to the support points. The module and canopy roofs are supported by reinforced concrete V-shaped pilaster strips with a masonry infill in firewall quality. To minimize the ecological footprint, the masonry is constructed using recycled bricks. The facility is complemented by an underground parking garage for employee vehicles with an integrated cistern.