Project Case
Heilbronn Gravity
A landmark innovation hub on the Bildungscampus Heilbronn, designed by Auer Weber and opened in December 2025 as the new home of Campus Founders. The building’s distinctive glazed south facade and roof were the critical solar challenge in a building built around openness and transparency. Shading integrated into the glazing keeps over 200 workspaces bright and comfortable without compromising the architecture or the views.
Where innovation meets its match in the glass.
GRAVITY opened in December 2025 as the new home of Campus Founders on the Bildungscampus Heilbronn, a rapidly growing knowledge district developed by the Dieter Schwarz Foundation that is home to around 8,000 students across Heilbronn University, Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University and the Technical University of Munich.
Designed by Auer Weber, who won an international competition in 2019 against entries from Zaha Hadid Architects, UN Studio and Delugan Meissl, GRAVITY is a deliberate departure from the other buildings on the campus. Its distinctive steel skeleton construction with offset levels sets it apart from the surrounding brick volumes, creating a new landmark on the Heilbronn skyline. The architecture stands for openness, transparency and space for interaction, supporting the values that mirror those of the startup community it was designed to house.
That commitment to transparency and comfort placed significant demands on the most exposed elevations. The roof glazing bring abundant natural daylight deep into the co-working spaces, meeting rooms and event areas throughout the building. Without effective solar control, those same surfaces would have driven up interior temperatures and undermined the comfortable, productive environment the building was designed to create.
MicroShade® was integrated directly into the south facade and roof glazing, working passively and automatically to reduce heat gain and need for cooling across the most exposed areas of the building. High-angle summer sun is blocked effectively while natural daylight continues to flow through freely. The workspaces below stay bright, comfortable and visually connected to the campus outside. No external shading systems, no blinds, no mechanical intervention required.
Our case studies
Esbjerg Realskole (DK)
Large glass façades bring daylight into classrooms — but they also bring heat. At Esbjerg Realskole, MicroShade® was integrated into the glazing to reduce overheating while preserving daylight and views.
Traditional blinds and screens require mechanical systems, power supplies, maintenance contracts and regular replacement. They block the view when closed and do nothing when open.
MicroShade® is integrated directly into the glazing unit. Passive, permanent and automatic, it works with the angle of the sun delivering shade in summer and allowing warmth through in winter. No moving parts. No intervention required.
No. Visible light transmission of 50-60% ensures interiors remain genuinely bright throughout the year. Unlike solar control glass, the microstructure blocks high-angle solar heat while allowing diffuse daylight to pass through freely.
Colour rendering above Ra 95 means natural light inside the building stays true to its source.
Yes. The product integrates into standard double or triple glazed units and is suitable for both new construction and retrofit projects. No mechanical systems, no wiring and no structural modifications are required.
There is no impact on the building exterior and no additional trades are needed beyond the glazing contractor already on the project.
The microstructure film sits protected inside the glazing cavity and is almost imperceptible to the naked eye, though the join between sheets is visible on close inspection. From the outside the facade looks clean and as designed.
From the inside the view out remains clear and unobstructed at all times. No tint, no visible pattern and no reduction in the quality of the outlook.
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