Remarkable solutions were found from an architectural standpoint also. For noise protection and safety reasons, the machine collection has been set up behind a glass partition. This area was designed to be a table construction that features its own foundation. Furthermore, it has been completely separated from the rest of the building by using full height glazed screens. Special measures had to be taken due to the nature of the historic building. The shed roof construction of the hall that dates back to the 1950s consisted of a pre-stressed steel frame building with overlapping concrete shells only six to seven centimeters thick. The building authorities consented to compromises in the area of fire protection with respect to the statics. However, the planners made up for this by adopting measures on smoke extraction, securing escape routes and setting up an alarm system. To save time and costs, the floor to ceiling fire resistant glazing between the foyer and the exhibits was executed as a light weight mullion-transom construction consisting of steel profiles. The 3 by 1.60 meter panes of the partition wall (fire resistance class G 30) consist of six mm thick PYRAN^® S special glass and two six millimeter thick panes of float glass. This allowed for the general building requirements to be met.

A sealed and self-sealing smoke protection door (RS2) that features eight millimeter thick PYRAN^® S glazing, which by no means detracts from the overall filigree impression, was installed in the glass partition next to the machine collection. This also required a permit due to the fact that the normal standard that applies to elements that open does not generally include smoke-proof seals. PYRAN^® was also used for this eleven meter high façade. According to the architect, these elements made it possible to solve the issue of fire protection inside a monument in both functional and aesthetic terms. “With the State Museum of Textiles and the Textile Industry in Augsburg, we managed to create an exceptional world of experiences and yet reconcile the need for modern requirements to be met by an existing historic building,” Prof. Kada concludes. <|