MONO architekten unites service station with archaeological exhibition in german plains
mono architekten invites travelers to rest in Thuringia’s plains
In the historic plains of Thuringia, Germany, MONO Architekten creates a quiet rest stop for travelers integrated with an educational center that celebrates a nearby Bronze Age burial mound. The Leubinger Fürstenhügel Service Station wrapped in corrugated aluminum unites architecture, landscape, and history with an exhibition trail that connects guest and refueling facilities to one of the region’s most important archaeological monuments of the same name.
Uniting its unexpected mix of uses and lying discreetly amid its context, the architects devise two, elongated gabled wings that smoothly blend into the gently undulating landscape. The form, recalling a Bronze Age longhouse located close by, accommodates all functional components of the service area and the exhibition under its first wing. The second wing, oriented orthogonally to the highway, stretches over the petrol station. Connecting the two is a projecting gabled roof which is folded several times and rises slowly to the ridge line of the longhouse.
all images © MONO Architekten / Gregor Schmidt unless stated otherwise
uniting history, landscape and architecture
Uniting its unexpected mix of uses and lying discreetly amid its context, the team at MONO Architekten has devised two, elongated gabled wings that smoothly blend into the gently undulating landscape. The form, recalling a Bronze Age longhouse located close by, accommodates all functional components of the service area and the exhibition under its first wing. The second wing, oriented orthogonally to the highway, stretches over the petrol station. Connecting the two is a projecting gabled roof which is folded several times and rises slowly to the ridge line of the longhouse.
While travelers stop to rest or refuel on their journeys, the Service Station encourages them to linger, enjoy the views of the surrounding area, and learn more about the rich history of the region. The educational trail connects architecture and landscape, staged as a timeline which gradually takes visitors back in time through historical events and archaeological finds, concluding with the Leubinger Fürstenhügel burial mound itself. The entrance to the site is marked by a large, column-free gabled roof that frames the view on approach.
Leubinger Fürstenhügel Service Station
In the eastern wing, a guest area offers direct visual reference to the mound, framed by a generous glass facade at the front of the structure. Here, a landscape terrace housed under the projecting gabled roof offers resting travelers a relaxing an experience of the emerging vegetation as well as panoramic views of the facility and its surroundings.
MONO Architekten has wrapped the exterior in an aluminum skin to emphasize the structure’s calm impression which is continued into its wood-lined interiors, creating a warm and restful atmosphere. Its irregular angles also create a delicate vertical structure with a discreet play of shadows
on the north side, the glass façade is shifted to the rear, creating a covered arcade
the exhibition gradually takes visitors back in time through historical events and archaeological finds
