Erne Innovation Centre by Burkard Meyer Architekten

It makes sense for a construction company to test innovative construction methods on its own building first – especially when it bears the name "Innovation Centre". Burkard Meyer Architekten have now built such a centre for the Swiss timber construction specialist Erne Holzbau in Stein am Rhein. The new 3500 m² building is the architects' second new construction on the factory site, following a company building in 2013. It connects seamlessly to an older office building, which was built in modular timber construction. The architects used its load-bearing structure and floor plan for the extension, but not its construction method: the new building is a skeleton structure with timber-concrete composite ceilings and core walls made of tamped concrete.

Rammed earth from the building's own excavation was used for the wet rooms and staircase cores. © Roger Frei

From the outside, there is little to suggest the ecological qualities inside: the building is clad in an aluminium facade. On the narrow sides to the north and south, wide projecting glass canopies with integrated photovoltaics provide shade, and there are also folding awnings in front of the windows. The ground floor is mainly conference rooms and a cafeteria, while the two upper floors provide around 100 workstations. 

Filigree timber construction: The atrium roof has a span of 14 m. © Roger Frei

The communicative heart of the building is the three-storey atrium. It is covered by a filigree beam structure with a span of 14 m, the delicacy of which is reminiscent of Japanese models. The ceilings all around are made of a timber-concrete composite construction. The system of beech wood and concrete – a proprietary development – was used a few years ago in the Suurstoffi project in Risch-Rotkreuz, also by Burkard Meyer Architekten. The system has been further developed here. Concrete and wood are rigidly connected to each other, allowing large spans. The integrated panels on the underside of the ceiling have a cooling and ventilation function and also improve sound insulation.

Integrated ceiling panels in the timber-concrete composite ceilings provide cooling and ventilation and also improve the room acoustics. © Roger Frei

Erne has also been involved in clay building for some time, as evidenced by the walls of the staircase cores and wet rooms. This was done using the excavated material from the building pit, which was tamped on site in a separate production line. The ground floor is made of recycled concrete. It is probably one of the few elements of the building that does not consistently follow the design for disassembly concept. Otherwise, the building can be largely disassembled into its original materials after use.