The three production halls are clearly legible through the cubic volumes on top of the plinth storey. The administration spaces are located on the cantilevered upper floor. Below this, a glazed access route affords views out to the landscape from all points. The room-height load-bearing structure in the halls is borne by four reinforced concrete cores. There are no suspended soffits, so that all service runs are exposed. Roof lights ensure an even level of natural lighting, and indoor-climate control is based on a synergetic concept. In winter, waste heat from the machines is used to heat the halls; while in summer, natural and mechanical ventilation are combined with cool-air recovery to maintain agreeable conditions.
The collaboration between the architect and the engineer began at the design stage. The core structures consist of in-situ concrete walls and prestressed precast concrete floor slabs. In contrast, the halls and the office and service platforms have a transparent, economical timber structure. The halls, which form the heart of the development, are roughly 28 m wide and are spanned at two-metre centres by slender three-part timber trusses supported by columns. The ribbed-metal roofing forms a multi-span continuous beam laid between the trusses. Horizontal bracing is provided by the floor diaphragms, while vertical stability is ensured by the reinforced concrete wall slabs to the four cores.
