NürnbergMesse is one of the world’s largest exhibition companies with a portfolio of over 120 national and international exhibitions and congresses that include 35,000 exhibitors and 1.5 million visitors who attend in their own, partner and guest events of the NürnbergMesse Group.

Hall 3A by ZHA at NürnbergMesse was completed in 2014. Its design connects the different grids of existing buildings at NürnbergMesse: the hexagonal grid of the original halls dating from the 1970s and the rectangular halls at Grosse Strasse. This connectivity is expressed in Hall 3A’s design and roof structure which spans 75 metres from the four storey service block at its northern end to its transparent south façade. Facilities such as the cafeteria, conference spaces and offices, as well as mechanical rooms and loading docks, are housed in this northern service block.

Derived from the various grids of its adjacent buildings, this roof structure is comprised of linear triangular trusses. At the halfway point of each truss, its lower beam divides and connects diagonally to the lower beam of the adjacent truss. Louvers connecting the upper and lower beams of each truss continue the dynamic geometries of this division. On the south façade, this arrangement within the roof structure is turned vertically to create a colonnade of tree-shaped columns which support the canopy and provide solar shading.

With record growth in exhibitor and visitor numbers since 2014, NürnbergMesse Hall 3C by ZHA opened in 2018.

Continuing the successful principles developed by ZHA for the existing Hall 3A, the trapezoid-shaped, 10,000m² floor plan of the new Hall 3C varies in length from 95 to 145 metres and is 85 metres in width. Its inclined roof drops from 20 to 13 metres in height to give acoustic benefits as well as reductions in energy consumption and emissions, while its glazed facade enables natural light to penetrate deep into the hall.

In June 2019, NürnbergMesse Hall 3C was awarded platinum certification by German Society for Sustainable Building (DGNB). DGNB auditors reviewed the hall’s ecological, social and economic aspects, awarding Hall 3C a total compliance score of 90.5%. According to DGNB, NürnbergMesse Halls 3A and 3C by ZHA surpass the sustainability standards of all other exhibition halls worldwide.

With two completely glazed walls that flood the building with natural light and LED lamps illuminate the hall in the evening, both halls incorporates construction materials with very low emissions and SVHC concentrations, FSC and PEFC certified timber and halogen-free content.

The hall’s highly efficient heat recovery system with rotary heat exchangers achieve energy savings of approximately 80%. Combined with its high quality envelope and advanced building management technology that continually optimises energy consumption, the hall beats current German Energy Saving Regulations by 75%.