Kempten

St. Hedwig Church
Kempten

In 1984/85, WIEHAG completed a remarkable project in terms of roof construction. St. Hedwig is the Roman Catholic parish church in Kempten, named after the Silesian Duchess Hedwig as the patron saint of the parish. The continuous growth of the church community led to the construction of the new church, which was solemnly inaugurated in 1986 by Diocesan Bishop Josef Stimpfle.

The artistic design reflects the spiritual concept in line with the Second Vatican Council. St. Hedwig is arguably one of the few modern churches that can be universally regarded as a work of art.

Project Scope and Execution

The integration of diverse geometrie

The roof structure consists of 30 individual and different roof surfaces, measuring approximately 1,000 m2 in total area. All roof surfaces have different geometries in terms of roof pitch, size, and eaves line. Before the actual detailed planning began, the entire roof geometry was calculated and compiled into a catalog. Approximately 70 m3 of glulam timber were used for the main structure. The roof surfaces have roof pitches ranging from 25° to 68°.

The two spire cupola roofs of the church and the chapel were connected with a "suspended" saddle (beam 14/1 and 14/2). The horizontal saddle beams are designed as double pincer beams. The two ridge nodes were supported on a mounting platform before the concrete casting, which was removed after the concrete had cured.

Between the respective glulam steep roof beams, vertically arranged KH truss girders were suspended as secondary support structures for connecting the roof structure or the underside. A tongue-and-groove formwork was used for the underside, so that the entire support structure remained invisible, giving the impression that the roof "floats" above the surrounding ribbon windows. Only the steel columns remained visible as a connection to the roof.