Solar Factory in Freiburg

The solar-cell production plant and a market for eco-products are housed in a low hall to the north; the administration and two dwellings in a four-storey linear tract to the south. The office tract is enclosed on three sides by a solid sandstone wall with 16 cm full thermal insulation. Extending over the entire south face is a glazed hall, which serves as an access and communication space and as a venue for various events. The “solar” façade, sloping at an angle of 17°, is supported at the top by the cantilevered floor slab over the offices. The primary structure, consisting of solid posts and horizontal tubes, supports only the glazed façade – a steel post-and-rail system – and the construction for the solar modules. The thermal storage mass required for this concept is provided by the steel-fibre reinforced concrete ground floor slab, by the stone walls and the other floor slabs.