New Architecture in Wood

Marc Wilhelm Lennartz

Susanne Jacob-Freitag

New
Architecture
in Wood
Forms and Structures

Birkhuser
Basel

7 Preface
8 Looking for the origins of modern timber construction
17 Public buildings
18 WIPO conference hall, Geneva
26 Elephant house, Zurich
35
36
42
48
54
60

Commercial buildings
G3 Shopping Resort, Gerasdorf
Warehouse, Philippsburg
Railway operations centre, Laubenbachmhle
Organic supermarket, Windhof
Casa Salute, Margreid

67
68
74
80
86
92

Sports and leisure facilities

Sports hall, Sargans
Indoor rollerblade arena, Geisingen
Acquaworld, Concorezzo
Les Thermes, Strassen
Multifunction stadium, Nice

101
102
110
116
122
128

Multi-storey buildings
LCT One, Dornbirn, and IZM, Montafon
Apartment building, Wagramer Strae, Vienna
Canols staff hostel, Lenzerheide
Wlderhaus, Hamburg
Woodcube, Hamburg

135 Infill developments and additional storeys

136 c13, Berlin
144 TM50, Nuremberg
151
152
158
164
170
176

Special structures
Wooden church, Eiterfeld-Unterrufhausen
Overmeyer organic farm, Seevetal
Viewing tower, Pyramidenkogel, Keutschach am See
Wildlife overpass, Luckenwalde
Airport expansion, Oslo

182 Picture credits

183 The authors

Preface

Human beings have been building wooden buildings since

time immemorial. Indeed, in the Middle Ages, whole
towns and cities were built from this natural raw material.

The current renaissance in timber construction
began in the early 1990sand there is no end in sight.
Building with wood is booming. Worldwide, wood is the
only renewable building material of any relevance that
stores the carbon dioxide so crucial to the climate. In the
age of climate change, greenhouse effect and energy
policy U-turns, i.e. the shift to renewables, it is of central
importance indeed. In the light of limited resources
and the fact that timber can replace energy-intensive
conventional building materials in many applications,
this versatile material has become the very symbol of
sustainable building.

In addition, the further systematic development of
specialised production methods as well as digital design
and fabrication techniques have raised timber construction to a new level of building without depleting resources.
And in the German-speaking countries in particular,
the significant R&D work being undertaken is regarded
internationally as leading in this field. The results of
these efforts have been incorporated in numerous product
developments and industrialised forms of construction
that have been used in initial applications, chiefly in
Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and South Tyrol (Italy).

This book describes a number of highly disparate
structures in order to demonstrate the diversity of modern
timber construction and its many applications. Whether
in the form of large-scale load-bearing structures or
multi-storey buildings, or combined with other building
materials, or in the context of integrated, socio-ecological
urban planning, wood offers answers to many important
questions that architects and urban planners have to
tackle now and in the future.

Modern timber construction already represents a
new humanistic and ecological architecture that could
shape urban structures in the 21st century.

Quality was the trademark of Christoph&Unmack AG:

timber buildings were trial-assembled in huge sheds
prior to dispatch.

Looking for the origins of

Todays possibilities in the
modern timber construction architectural and engineering
design of timber structures
of all kinds are inextricably
linked with two pioneers of
timber construction, namely
Otto Hetzer (18461911)
and Konrad Wachsmann
(19011980). Whereas Hetzer
made possible the construction of large-scale
timber structures, Wachsmann saw the industrial
possibilities of this ancient
building material. Their
lifes work can be regarded
as the basis of modern
timber construction.
Industrialisation of the construction process
It was during his work in Lusatia in the 1920s that Konrad
Wachsmann laid the foundation for an industrialised form
of timber construction based on maximum prefabrication and systemisation. His methods and ideas, which can
now be explored in the freshly restored Konrad Wachsmann
House in Niesky, were way ahead of their time.

The architect Frei Otto described the uvre of his
colleague and friend as follows: I believe Wachsmann is
the clearest thinker and philosopher in modern architecture. Like no other, he found a common denominator
between technical innovation and beauty.

The Central European regions of Upper and Lower
Lusatia, like Silesia to the east, have a rich tradition of

timber buildings. One of the most important protagonists

of this legacy in modern times was born in Frankfurt
an der Oder in 1901Konrad Wachsmann. Like the famous
poet from the same town, Heinrich von Kleist, Wachsmann
adhered to the maxim of a liberal intellectual education.
All his life, Konrad Wachsmann was searching for the
ideal material to realise and perfect his dream of an
efficient, industrially machined and prefabricated modular
form of construction. He defined the then new type of
synthesis of technology and science as a new artistry
in architecture. Wachsmann pursued the spiritual ideals
of the Bauhausand his aim was a comprehensive
renewal of society. Nevertheless, he differed from Gropius
and other Bauhaus proponents, who advocated a return

to craftsmanship. Instead, he pinned his hopes on

machine-made, technical components; for only these
contained the space for the architectural utopias
of the dreams he was contemplating and researching.

Mixing with the likes of Brecht, Lasker-Schler

and Grosz
Wachsmann did not complete his formal education and
was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker. On the advice of his
family he then moved to Berlin to attend the art college
there. The courses at the college could not satisfy
young Wachsmanns thirst for knowledge and experiencing
lifebut the Berlin of the 1920s had more to offer than
just school lessons. The bohemian society that gathered
in the Romanische Caf fascinated him. This was where
he could immerse himself in the world of artists and
writers such as Bertolt Brecht, Else Lasker-Schler,
George Grosz, and Erika and Klaus Mann, and fully absorb
the nascent all-embracing modern movement fed by
the revolutionary spirit of the times. It was during this
period that Wachsmann became convinced that architecture, too, and not just politics, art, literature, and
music, was in need of a fundamental rethink. Art Nouveau
had already lost its power to transform, and the good
times of the preceding Grnderzeit era (literally the
Founder Epoch) were over, as were the belligerent years
under the Kaiser.

10

Africa and North and South America. Wachsmann really

thrived at the company, allowed himself to be inspired
by thefor the timesincredible range of machinery
available, and quickly rose to become chief architect at
Christoph&Unmack. This post opened up further
opportunities for him to promote his ideas and concepts
regarding the maximum prefabrication and systemisation
of industrialised forms of timber construction.

Diversity in unity with maximum variety

Wachsmann designed standardised panel systems,
conceived precautionary measures that were ingenious
in terms of their building technology, and reformed
frame construction by employing new methods of structural calculation. In addition, he drafted new showhouse
catalogues with a customer-centric, modular overall
concept. Departing from the usual practice of presenting
individual house types, his catalogues offered customers the chance to take part in a creative process to
produce their own homes. Customers were able to assemble their own personal home according to their own
ideas based on a set of prefabricated elements. The
really clever part about Wachsmanns concept was
being able to create maximum variety for an individual
building despite the limited set of parts. Customers
could design their dream homes themselvesfrom the
typical Upper Lusatia style to the functional appearance of the Bauhaus styleusing a remarkable range of

An age of revolutionary regeneration
styles and designs.
In those days, most ordinary folk and the working classes
Wachsmann later described his pioneering years in
lived in squalid blocks of flats, indeed, many of them
Niesky in these terms: It was the most decisive step in
in slum-like conditions. In addition, there was a shortage my life. In the woodworking shops of the factory, I was
of housing. As far as Wachsmann was concerned, this
able to discover the world of machines, technology, the
was a situation just crying out for change. Furthermore, beginnings of industrialised building. Everything that
new objectivity, simplicity, and unobtrusiveness were
came afterwards and happened in Berlin, New York, Tokyo,
on the agenda; bourgeois-aristocratic splendour and
Chicago, London, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Zurich, or Warsaw
splash belonged to the past.
all began in Niesky, a village founded by Moravian immi
After completing his studies in architecture at the art grants. It was in this wooden house factory that I discovacademies in Dresden and Berlin, Wachsmann took the
ered the way that led me to a turning point in construction.
advice of his teacher Hans Poelzig and moved to Niesky (M.Grning: Der Wachsmann-Report, Basel, 2001, p.210)
in Saxony in 1926. Taken on as an architect by Christoph&
Timber building centre of the world
Unmack AG, at that time the largest timber construction
Christoph&Unmacks range included, for example, buildand engineering works in Europe, it was here that he
quickly found what he had been seeking for so long. Not ing types in log construction or timber-frame buildings
clad with boards, as well as panel and trussed forms of
only was Christoph&Unmack way ahead of its time, it
was also special in one significant respect. Contrary to the construction. The goal was the ongoing development
of these forms of timber construction so that they could
general preference for glass, steel, chromium, and
reinforced concrete as building materials for the modern be manufactured in serial production. The firms motto
was Inexpensive, durable, thermally insulated, practical,
movement, the company based its industrially prefabricated building designs on a traditional building material modern. They designed and built private- and publicsector buildings, hotels, churches, hospitals, gymnasiums,
wood. The companys timber buildings were already
being completely prefabricated by machine before being schools, railway stations, industrial sheds, and aircraft
hangars, even transmission towers. Other renowned
exported to countries across Europe, even by ship to

D
A Christoph&Unmack AG was already exporting
prefabricated timber buildings to the rest of the
world a century ago.

The architect Konrad Wachsmann recognised and

developed the practices and opportunities of modern
timber construction.

C Pioneering architects and expatriates in America:

Walter Gropius and Konrad Wachsmann.

Even today, visitors to Niesky can see almost 100

prefabricated timber buildings. Christoph&Unmack AG
built these to house their workers. Moreover, these
houses served as showhouses enabling new customers
to inspect the various types of building.

E The factory in Niesky reveals the scale that

industrial timber construction had already reached at
the start of the 20th century.
E

architects worked and experimented alongside Wachsmann at Christoph&Unmack, e.g.Prof.Albinmller and

Henry van de Velde.

In those days Niesky was the timber building centre
of Europe, if not the world. Even today, visitors to this
small town in the far south-eastern corner of Germany
can see almost 100 prefabricated timber buildings
dating from that period. Most of those are to be found
in Neu-dernitz, an estate of timber houses where
Christoph&Unmack appointed contractors to build 76
buildings containing 250 flats in panel construction.
The workforce was delighted: Well never want to swap
our new timber homes for brick homes! The timber
buildings dating from those years are still occupied today.
They are protected by the less stringent provisions of a
preservation order that covers the area as a whole. The
red clay tiles on the roofs and the brown colouring of
the facades are among the things prescribed, but the
buildings are nevertheless still in good condition.

12

National Socialism puts an end to modern

timber buildings
The National Socialists rise to power marked the beginning
of the end for modern timber construction in Niesky.
The directors of Christoph&Unmack at the time were only
too happy to do the new governments bidding. As a
result, a central planning committee was set up in Niesky
which was responsible for building the wooden barracks
at several thousand camps belonging to the extermination
machinery of the German authorities in which millions
of people were tortured and killed. The plans and ideas of
this committeewith the help of timber contractors distributed across the territory of the German Reichformed
the basis for the design and construction of buildings for
concentration and labour camps, along with field hospitals
and military accommodation that could be quickly set
up and quickly dismantled. Timber construction for nonmilitary uses gradually lost its importance in those years.

After the war, Niesky provided reparations in the form
of portable prefabricated timber buildings for a few
years, but that spelled the end of industrialised timber
buildings in Upper Lusatia. As for Wachsmann, following
his successful years in Lusatia, his luck as an architect
in Germany did not last very long, either. He did manage
to study abroad, in Rome, but the Nazi dictatorship soon
afterwards forced Wachsmann, with his Jewish background, to emigrate, first to Paris in 1938, then to the USA
in 1941, helped by his friend Albert Einstein, for whom
he had designed a summer cottage in Potsdam in 1929.
Emigration and post-war years
Wachsmann made a name for himself in the USA,
primarily through the company he founded in New York

together with Walter Gropius, the General Panel Corporation, and its Packaged House System, a sort of
modular system for prefabricated timber construction.
The two immigrants had their specific building components produced fully automaticallya new approach
in those days. From 1949 onwards Wachsmann served
as professor of building systems at the Institute of
Design in Chicago, which had been founded by Lszl
Moholy-Nagy and Walter Gropius as the successor
institution to the Bauhaus. In 1950 Ludwig Mies van der
Rohe helped him to continue his research into the
industrialisation of building as Director of the Department of Advanced Building Research at the Illinois
Institute of Technology.

He had already devised a universal connection
before emigrating, the Wachsmann node, which allowed
standardised components to be assembled both
vertically and horizontally. While in the USA, Wachsmann
developed this connection further to create the Mobilar
Structure Building System, a method of building large
volume single-storey sheds without internal columns,
e.g.aircraft hangars. He worked with a team of teachers
and studentsan integrative approach that also caused
an international sensationto develop what was at that
time a totally new building system made up of steel
tubes and connecting nodes. During the 1960s he continued his work as professor at the School of Architecture
(University of Southern California) in Los Angeles.

After receiving many honours and being awarded
internationally renowned architecture prizes, Konrad
Wachsmann died in California in 1980. Although his mother,
sister, and a nephew had died at the hands of the Nazis
in a concentration camp, his express wish was to be
buried in Germany, in his hometown of Frankfurt/Oder.
The Academy of Arts in Berlin now manages the estate
of this revolutionary and innovative architect.

Prefabrication and systemisation
Key areas of the modern timber construction of the 21st
century can be traced back to the ideas and solutions
of Konrad Wachsmann. The industrial prefabrication of all
components in large batches with consistently high
quality, the almost complete systemisation of timber construction, and the speeding-up of the whole construction process through a form of standardisation that still
allows for diverse structuresall that had its origins
in Niesky. That also applies to the well-developed quality
management system, which included trial assemblies
of timber buildings and other structures in huge sheds
prior to sale and to being exported throughout the world.
Incidentally, their load-bearing structures were made
from Hetzer beams, which Otto Hetzer, the pioneer of
engineered timber construction, had developed.

13

Structures and designs for engineered

timber buildings
Historical events led to phases in which not only timber
construction, but also engineered timber construction
led a shadowy existence. Whereas wood, long established
in construction, was virtually unrivalled as a building
material up until the mid-19th century (many efficient
timber building systems had been developed up to then
which were already based on engineering methods and
were very different from carpentry traditions), during the
Industrial Revolution it started to lose favour from about
1850 onwards and was no longer the first choice for buildings. Throughout the world, building materials such as
steel and concrete started to take over. So in the second
half of the 19th century the pioneering structures were
made from steel, or rather iron. Nevertheless, isolated
engineering masterpieces were indeed built during this
period, e.g.transmission towers, salt warehouses, and
structures for the railways and the emerging airship industry.

The renewed upturn in engineered timber construction at the start of the 20th century can be primarily
attributed to the invention of glued laminated timber by
Otto Hetzer. In 1906 this master carpenter and entrepreneur from Weimar was granted a patent for his
invention of curved glued timber components. Hetzers
basic idea was to take several boards and produce
timber components in any length with any cross-section
and with every conceivable curvature. The glued laminated
timber components, known then as Hetzer beams, extended the constructional possibilities of engineered timber
construction quite crucially. It was now possible to
achieve load-carrying capacities that were inconceivable
with solid timber. Spans of more than 40 metres were
no longer a problem. That of course led to new structural
forms. The invention of glued laminated timber is
therefore regarded as the birth of modern engineered
timber construction. Furthermore, at that time the new
form of timber construction was almost 50 per cent
cheaper than other forms of construction, especially
reinforced concrete, and, consequently, also improved the
competitiveness of timber construction.

So glued laminated timber started to be used for
long-span structures. The first single-storey shed built
using the Hetzer form of construction had a span of
43 metres. It was designed for German Railways by the
architect Peter Behrens and was erected at the World
Exposition in Brussels in 1910. Further large structures
quickly followed. Switzerland built its share of these,
including a dome for the main building at Zurich University
(1911), industrial buildings, and numerous roofs over
railway platforms. Indeed, Swiss Railways even published
a corresponding recommendation, because the use of
timber ruled out corrosion problems.

After the First World War, engineered timber construction became popular in Germany again. Although the
fortunes of the company founded by Otto Hetzer began
to decline in 1926, three years before the start of the
global economic depression, his know-how didnt
disappear with the company. From 1919 to 1922 Otto Alfred
Hetzer, one of Otto Hetzers sons, took charge of the
renowned timber construction company based in Niesky,
Christoph&Unmack, where he introduced his fathers
engineering legacy.

Major timber contractors also sprung up elsewhere in
Germany. A wave of patent applications ensued and
methods of connection were investigated scientifically and
further developed. Building with glued laminated timber
(glulam) had a major influence on timber construction in
Germany and, over the decades, modern engineered
building with timber evolved into the high-tech form of
construction it is today.

New methods of connection and computer-assisted

design
Methods of connection, but also new gluing techniques,
are inextricably linked with engineered timber construction.
Almost all the early engineered timber structures relied
on handcrafted woodworking joints. However, the ever
longer spans called for ever more efficient methods of
connection. Many structural forms owed their existence
to the new connections. Fastening and connecting
techniques employing nails, steel dowels, special dowels,
shaped steel plates, and threaded bars glued into drilled
holes, along with the systematic investigation of finger
joints, all played major roles in the further development
of engineered timber construction.

The combination of glulam and cleverly designed
load-bearing fasteners continues to open up new architectural opportunities. Spans of well over 100 metres are
feasible these days. Of course, the structures are also
influenced by the methods of analysis available. Trusses,
beams, long-span arches, and trussed members are the
preferred structural forms these days, again and again
leading to new configurations that enrich engineered
timber construction.

Computer-assisted design with 2D and 3D CAD tools,
which enable fully automatically controlled CNC machining
for the precise fabrication of glulam components with
almost any dimensions, results in highly efficient forms
of construction. Even components in double curvature
can be produced without any problems.

More competitive than ever
Today, timber construction is in no way inferior to its
rivals steel and concrete. In terms of aesthetic, functional,
and even economic aspects, it can compete with

conventional forms of construction. In several major

European projects of recent years where tenders left the
choice of material open and the clients made their
decisions based purely on economic factors, timber was
chosen over steel, for instance.

Modern engineered timber structures are high-tech
assemblies offering unprecedented aesthetics. In addition,
cleverly designed load-bearing structures are enormously
efficient and light in weight at the same time, because
wood exhibits a high strength for a low self-weight. Their
particular forms have inspired many architects throughout the world to use this time-honoured building material.

The expertise of the German-speaking countries is unique

in this field and in demand throughout the world. And
systematic research and development places timber
construction on the highest technical level, a fact demonstrated by the huge number of standardised and
approved timber construction products and fasteners.
Modern (engineered) timber construction has many
facets and is sure to develop additional ones in the future.
Further, the new awareness of the environment and the
need to build energy-efficient, climate-neutral structures
without depleting resources have awakened our interest
in this unique form of construction more than ever before.

14

Otto Hetzers patent of 1906

Otto Karl Friedrich Hetzer (Otto Hetzer sen.)

C The International Hygiene Exhibition in Dresden

in 1911 provided a chance to exhibit the Dcker
gymnasium model with its parabolic arches made of
glued Hetzer beams in the form of I-sections to save
material. The authorities in Langerfeld, a suburb of
Wuppertal, purchased the portable building and after
the exhibition erected it at its current location,
where it has served as a gymnasium and sports hall
since 1912. It was refurbished in 2008.

Section through old gymnasium: Hetzer three-pin

arches supporting a mansard roof

15
C

p.18

p.26

Public buildings
WIPO
conference hall
Elephant house

Conference hall made

up of interlocking
peep boxes

The building for the World

Intellectual Property
Organisation (WIPO) in the
heart of the UN quarter in
Geneva has attracted plenty
of attention. This highly
asymmetric timber structure
is designed as a plate
structure made up of hollow
box elements and trusses.
Consequently, long spans
could be achieved with
little material. One special
feature is the 35 metre
long cantilevering section
of the building.

Since September 2014 the World Intellectual Property

Organisation (WIPO), founded in 1967, has had a new
conference hall at its headquarters in Geneva. The 1600m
building, clad in larch shingles and bronze-anodised
sheet aluminium, seems to hover above the Place des
Nations. Four interlocking, peep box-type timber tubes
form a sculpted edifice. One of those tubes cantilevers
35 metres beyond the central base structure. According to
the designers, it is the worlds longest cantilever for an
engineered timber structure of this kind.

The conference hall was built in the gardens of the
WIPO headquarters between the two existing buildings
dating from 1978 and 2011 and completes the ensemble.

and offered plenty of scope for complying with this

stipulation. In addition, the primary energy requirement
(grey energy) for building and operating the centre had
to be kept to a minimum. However, timber with its low
weight also exhibited clear advantages over concrete and
steel when considering the building physics, the fire
protection concept, and the high additional loads brought
about by the safety and security aspects associated
with a building of this category, and which had to be
considered as accidental loads.

Furthermore, woods acoustic properties and low
thermal mass, and the buildings fast heating or cooling
response times associated with that were also seen as
positive in the light of conference events with periods of
use alternating with periods of inactivity.

19

Clients request: sustainability

The client wanted a sustainable building, so it was very
quickly clear that timber would have to be used. The
choice of material seemed sensible to the design team

The broad V-shaped plan form of the conference hall

with its central stage resembles that of an ancient Greek
theatre. The 850 seats for delegates face the podium.

WIPO conference hall, Geneva

20

The search was on for a load-bearing structure for

an asymmetric building
In the centre, the building, made up of four tapering
timber tubes reminiscent of peep boxes, rests on a reinforced concrete base structure. The tubes spread out
beyond the base in four directions. The longest cantilever
is 35 metres, the second-longest 17 metres; these two
tubes are identical apart from their lengths.

The structural engineers initially developed a plate
structure in the form of self-supporting, bending- and
torsion-resistant tubes in cross-laminated timber (CLT) to
suit this highly asymmetric configuration with constantly
changing heights and widths. They wanted to explore the
advantages of CLT as a material capable of carrying
biaxial loads, but also comply with the architects requirement for incorporating a maximum amount of timber.

However, with suspended floors spanning up to 20
or 28 metres, a pure plate structure (i.e. in-plane-loaded
structure) could only carry the tensile and compressive
stresses distributed globally over the plates in the longitudinal direction, but not the local bending stresses in
the transverse direction, e.g. due to snow on the roof or
occupied rows of seats on the floor. To carry those loads,
further members transverse to the direction of the
cantilever would be necessary. Therefore, the engineers
modified the simple solid timber solution and worked
out various alternatives using resolved and assembled
designs with ribs for the transverse load-carrying capacity.
In the end they chose hollow boxes.

With a total depth of 1.50 metres, ribs made of
18 centimetre wide Kerto-S every 1.25 metres were
attached via shear-resistant connections to the top and
bottom panels made from 15 centimetre thick CLT to
create a plate structure that could carry all the loads.

for positioning the supports on the existing substructure

were limited. Therefore, the building is anchored to
the reinforced concrete base structure at 18 points. In
order to be able to transfer the forces safely to the
substructureforces due to dead, imposed, wind, and
special loads that result from the use of the building (all
with different magnitudes and acting in different directions), the structural engineers installed bearings that
are common in bridge-building (also partly because the
loads of up to 1000 tonnes are similar to those of bridges).

Spherical bearings guarantee a controlled load
transfer between superstructure and substructure, and
permit tilting movements to all sides plus displacements
of the superstructure. Vertical and horizontal forces are
transferred directly to the base structure; rotations
are accommodated by the movable spherical part and
a concave base section to the bearing.
The challenge of the security-specific special load
Under vertical loading, the entire building reacts like
a propped cantilever. These loads are made up of the dead
loads, the imposed load for the conference hall (4kN/m),
the imposed load for other areas (2kN/m), and the
snow load (0.8kN/m). The ensuing moment at the cantilever support presented the engineers with a tricky task
due to the enormous cantilever of 35 metres.

They resolved the moment into a tension-compression
couple and tied it back to the substructure with steel
posts and diagonals via the two supports beneath the end
bay of the truss. The highest tensile force that had to
be accommodated was 200 tonnes! For stability, the open
front end of this tube has a rigid frame with steel
X-bracing (as do the windows in the ends of the other
three tubes). So some of the loads of the 35 metre
long cantilever on one side could be transferred to the
17 metre truss cantilever on the other side and thus
improve the stiffness of the overall system.

One particular challenge for the design of the loadbearing structure was how to deal with the horizontal
forces. Even just the security-specific special load was
about ten times the size of the wind load. Together with
the earthquake load, the horizontal loads were many
times greater than customary loads. To accommodate the
ensuing transverse and torsional forces, transverse
bulkheads were installed in and between the hollow boxes.

More steel in timber construction to keep

within budget
A consortium set up specially for the project then reworked
this design once again to find a more cost-effective
variation, which, however, reduced the amount of timber
in the load-bearing structure. They replaced the CLT
and the Kerto in the hollow boxes with glued laminated
timber and reduced the depth to 1.20 metres. Trusses
with cladding attached using shear-resistant fixings were
selected for the sides of the cantilevering tubes. These
changes to create uniaxial load-carrying components now
called for the inclusion of additional steel beams and

FEM for determining forces and deformations
columns. This was the solution that was chosen to be built. The building was modelled in three dimensions with the
help of the finite element method (FEM) and simulated

Load-bearing structure on bridge bearings
as a spatial structure. Consequently, it was possible
The greatest challenges were the stiffness and deforma- to determine the forces and deformations and design all
tion of the tube cantilevering 35 metres and the supports the structural members. The interaction of the hollow
for the buildingthe latter mainly because the options
box elements of the floors and walls (i.e. the timber-clad

Global tension

< 20m
< 20m
< 30m

< 25m

Global compression

< 25m
< 15m

Beam spacing +/- 1.25m

Tension

Local bending

< 15m

Designed as wall plates

Floor and roof spans

21

A The roof and floor spans input into the 3D computer

model of the structural variation hollow box made of
CLT and Kerto ribs.

Principle for carrying loads in two directions with

hollow boxes made of CLT

C Instead of CLT hollow boxes everywhere, in the end

the design team chose glulam hollow boxes for the
floors, walls, and trusses. That resulted in the use of
more steel components.

Daylight enters through the huge, skyward-facing

window to illuminate the podium in the conference hall.

D -->

Tension

WIPO conference hall, Geneva

trusses), all linked to form plates and frames, ensures

the stability of the building.

they link the elements to form plates and hence the

frames to form torsion-resistant tubes.

Shear-resistant connections turn hollow boxes

into plates
The 1.25 metre wide and 1.20 metre deep hollow box
elements (panels and ribs: d=10cm) of the roof surfaces
span up to 28 metres, the 90 centimetre deep floor
elements up to 20 metres. They were positioned by crane
at a spacing of 2.50 metres between the 50 centimetre
thick and up to 11.50 metre high wall plates, or rather
between the top and bottom chords of the trusses.

Glued laminated timber edge beams with integral
zip-type steel nib strips close off the tops of the walls,
which are likewise hollow boxes made from 10 centimetre
thick glulam panels and 30 centimetre deep glulam
ribs. These function as support brackets for the hollow
boxes of the floors.

The nib strips accommodate the panel edges to the
hollow boxes top and bottom and hold them rigidly. The
panel edges were cut accurately for this purpose. Screw
fixings are used at the junctions between walls and
floors and thus form the rigid frames or tube segments.
Transverse glulam bulkheads are installed between the
hollow boxes. They were able to be inserted exactly from
above via the cut-outs in the projecting panels of the
hollow boxes and interlocked with them. Further glulam
panels close off the gaps top and bottom. Screwed to
the transverse bulkheads and the adjacent hollow boxes,

Unique in terms of geometry and strength

Every hollow box in the building has a different length
and support geometry; and the glulam ribs to the walls
and floors have different depths. Depending on the
spans, however, they also have different strengths. The
suspended floor elements were also fabricated with
a camber, which was sized such that the loads of the
hollow boxes would pull them horizontal after erection.
The size of the camber is also specific to each beam.
Therefore, every element is a one-off.

Precise planning with 3D CAD
The planning and fabrication of the glued laminated
timber elements were carried out with a 3D computer
model into which all the geometries as well as cut-outs
for connecting plates and steel fasteners plus ventilation outlets had been input accurately. This model
formed the basis for the CNC machining of all timber
and steel components. The factory-prefabricated
glulam hollow box elements were comparatively light
and therefore easy to erect by crane. Only the erection
of the long cantilever required falsework: the lower
suspended floor and the hollow box walls, supplemented
by the trusses, were installed and joined to the roof
elements to form a huge tube. Only after being completed
the structural system functions as intended. sjf

22

EXECUTION

CB
Auteur

EL

Type Doc.

Niveau

002
Numro

EX
Phase

50 DE

Indice

Echelle et secteur

Consortium BOIS OMPI

Groupement d'ingnieurs

288bis, Route de Saint-Julien - CH-1258 PERLY (GENEVE)

Ind. Date Auteur

T +41 (0)22 721 10 00

F +41 (0)22 721 10 01

Modifications

05.10.2011

AG

Premire diffusion

18.10.2011

AG

Corrections diverses

01.12.2011

DM

Corrections diverses

03.02.2012

DM

Plan d'excution

4
5
6
7
8
9

EXEC

10
11
12

412.00 s/mer = +-0.00

Consortium BOIS OMPI

OMPI - Organisation Mondiale de la Proprit Intellectuelle

Groupement d'ingnieurs

OMPI - Construction d'une nouvelle salle de confrence

Matre
d'ouvrage
Architectes

Auteur

OMPI
CH-1211 Genve 20, 34, ch. des Colombettes

Tel: +41 (0)22 / 338 87 58

Fax: +41 (0)22 / 338 85 60

BEHNISCH ARCHITEKTEN
D-70197 Stuttgart, Rotebhlstrasse 163A

Tel: +49 (0)711 / 60772-0

Fax: +49 (0)711 / 60772-99

Architectes BEHNISCH ARCHITEKTEN

Ind. Date Auteur

0

22.07.2011

AG

Prem

01.12.2011

DM

Corre

14.12.2011

DM

Mod

17.01.2012

AG

Mod

03.02.2012

DM

Plan

Ing.San. Technic's energy sanitaire

Paysagiste Oxalis

Ing.CVC Transsolar

Cons. bois: Charpente Concept SA, SJB AG, J.-M. D.

Ing.CVC Riedweg & Gendre S.A.

Ing.Civil T-Ingnerie S.A.

Ing.El. Technic's energy lctricit

Ing.Civil Lygdopoulos

Ing.El. Amstein & Walthert S.A.

Date

05.10.11

SALLE DE CONFRENCE

Echelle

1:50

Dessinateur

AG / DM
Taille

A0

Modifications / indices

DM- 03.02.12 / 3

Elvation treillis A - mur M1

Elvation treillis J - mur M5
Structure bois
Niveau h

10
11
12

OMPI - Orga

OMPI - Construction

Matre
d'ouvrage
Architectes

Auteur

OMPI
CH-1211 G

BEHNISCH
D-70197 St

Architecte

Paysagiste

Cons. bois:

Ing.Civil T-

Ing.Civil Ly

Date

05.10.11

Echelle

1:50

Dessinateur

AG / DM
Taille

A1

Modifications / indices

DM 03.02.12

A The moment from the 35 metre long cantilever

is resolved into a tension-compression couple and
transferred to the substructure in the end bay.

The truss on the other side is, structurally, a beam

on two supports with a 17 metre cantilever.

Lifting a factory-prefabricated hollow box beam

Installing a transverse bulkhead between the

hollow boxes to accommodate torsional forces

E The steel nibs and edge cut-outs fit together like

a puzzle. After installing the transverse bulkheads,
glulam panels close off the gaps between the hollow
boxes.

23

CUTION

CB
Auteur

EL

Type Doc.

Niveau

001
Numro

288bis, Route de Saint-Julien - CH-1258 PERLY (GENEVE)

EX
Phase

50 DE

Indice

T +41 (0)22 721 10 00

Echelle et secteur

F +41 (0)22 721 10 01

Modifications

mire diffusion

rections diverses

dification percement faade selon R+G du 12.12.2011

dification percement faade selon corrections Archi.

n d'excution

412.00 s/mer = +-0.00

anisation Mondiale de la Proprit Intellectuelle

on d'une nouvelle salle de confrence

Genve 20, 34, ch. des Colombettes

Tel: +41 (0)22 / 338 87 58

Fax: +41 (0)22 / 338 85 60

H ARCHITEKTEN
tuttgart, Rotebhlstrasse 163A

Tel: +49 (0)711 / 60772-0

Fax: +49 (0)711 / 60772-99
Ing.San. Technic's energy sanitaire

es BEHNISCH ARCHITEKTEN

Ing.CVC Transsolar

e Oxalis
: Charpente Concept SA, SJB AG, J.-M. D.

Ing.CVC Riedweg & Gendre S.A.

-Ingnerie S.A.

Ing.El. Technic's energy lctricit

ygdopoulos

Ing.El. Amstein & Walthert S.A.

SALLE DE CONFRENCE
Elvation treillis B - mur M2
Structure bois
Niveau h

2/4

WIPO conference hall, Geneva

24

Floor plan

Section: one wing of the conference hall

cantilevers 35 metres over the Place des Nations.

C The bold architecture of this timber structure is

convincing; compact and essentially closed, its
tapering, cantilevering wings seem to hover above
the Place des Nations, contrasting with the two
existing glass/steel/concrete buildings of the WIPO
complex.

Project WIPO conference hall (OMPIOrganisation Mondiale de la

Proprit Intellectuelle; WIPOWorld Intellectual Property Organisation)
in Geneva, www.wipo.int
Form of construction Engineered timber structure
Construction period August 2011 to September 2014
Costs not specified
Gross floor area 7700m
Gross enclosed volume 29000m
Client World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), 1211 Geneva,
Switzerland, www.wipo.int
Architecture Behnisch Architekten, 70197 Stuttgart, Germany,
www.behnisch.com
Project supervision Atelier Coplan, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland,
www.atelier-coplan.ch
Project management Burckhardt+Partner AG, 1227 Carouge GE,
Switzerland, www.burckhardtpartner.ch
Structural engineering, timber conceptual design schlaich, bergermann
und partner, 70197 Stuttgart, Germany, www.sbp.de; T Ingnierie SA,
1211 Geneva, Switzerland, www.t-ingenierie.com
Structural engineering, reinforced concrete Erricos Lygdopoulos, 1204
Geneva, Switzerland

25

Structural engineering, detailed design&erection of timber Bois OMPI

consortium: Charpente Concept SA, 1258 Perly, Switzerland,
www.charpente-concept.com; SJB Kempter+Fitze AG, 9101 Herisau,
Switzerland, www.sjb.ch; JPF-Ducret SA, 1630 Bulle 1, Switzerland,
www.jpf-ducret.ch; Dasta Charpentes Bois SA, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates,
Switzerland, www.dasta.ch
Climate consultants/Building services
Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH, 70563 Stuttgart, Germany,
www.transsolar.com; Sorane SA, 1024 Ecublens, Switzerland,
www.sorane.ch; Riedweg&Gendre SA, 1227 Carouge, Switzerland,
www.rgsa.ch
Facade consultants Emmer Pfenninger Partner AG, 4142 Mnchenstein,
Switzerland, www.eppag.ch
Wooden shingles supplier Theo Ott, 83404 Ainring-Hammerau, Germany,
www.holzschindeln.de; consultant for wooden shingles facade:
Baeriswyl AG, 3186 Ddingen, Switzerland, www.baeriswyl-ag.ch
Consultant for glass facade&roof Sottas SA, 1630 Bulle, Switzerland,
www.sottas.ch
Acoustics Mller-BBM, 82152 Planegg, Germany, www.muellerbbm.de
Bearings Mageba SA, 8180 Blach, Switzerland www.mageba.ch
Quantity of timber used 2100m glulam
Carbon (C) content 525t
Sequestered CO 1924t

Project details
3595m (1280m) hollow boxes, thereof 395m external wall elements
2745m panels with d=10cm
430m glulam for trusses
2370m shingles
Longest cantilever: 35m
Height of walls: 11.50m
Further information
Time-lapse film of construction:
http://tinyurl.com/mc58ehc
(go to Morphing of the construction)

A dome resembling
a covering of foliage

The elephant house at

Zurich Zoo is much more
than just a home for ten
Asian elephants. With its
unusual roof and facade
structure, it is an attraction
in itself. It is primarily the
multi-layer composite crosssection of the net-like dome
that represents a pioneering construction feat and
sets new standards when
it comes to turning an
initial vision into a structural
engineering solution. The
structure was awarded the
Ulrich Finsterwalder
Structural Engineering
Award 2015.

Following three years of construction, June 2014 saw the

opening of the new Kaeng-Krachan Elephant Park at
Zurich Zoo. With a total area of about 11000m, the compound provides a home for up to ten Asian elephants
and is six times larger than the original facility dating from
the 1970s. An international architectural competition for
the new facility was launched in 2008. The aim of the competition was to create a top-quality home for the elephants
which would be better than any other in the world.

The winning design conceived the elephant park as
a spacious landscape with external enclosures and
dense vegetation in the visitor areas. And in the middle

of all this the construction highlight, i.e. the elephant

house. The architects idea was to recreate the elephants
natural habitat in Thailand. The shallow dome had to form
part of the landscape and look like a covering of foliage.

27

Interior view showing the roof shell with its rooflights.

There are no pipes or cables on the soffit of the
net-type roof. The light-permeable membranes of
the air-filled cushions allow plants to grow inside
the building.

Multi-layer lightweight construction for net-like dome
The roughly 80 metre diameter, 6800m free-form timber
roof shell spans over the internal enclosure like a huge
net. In total, 271 rooflights are integrated in the timber
shell, each one in the form of a transparent air-filled
cushion made of UV-permeable ETFE foil. Together, they
ensure that plenty of daylight reaches the interior

Elephant house, Zurich

28

beneath the shell18 metres high at its highest point.

The realisation of this perforated, very shallow roof
shell (span/rise ratio=8:1) called for the development
of a highly efficient, weight-saving design. To deal with
this task, the structural engineers managed to devise
a multi-layer nailed and screwed, and hence linear elastic,
composite cross-section that could be assembled on site.

The specification called for a smooth soffit to the dome
functioning as a structural lining and unencumbered by
pipes or cables. The proportion of openings, amounting
to about 35 per cent, was very important because the
animals and plants below need ample sunlight, or rather
UV light. The rooflights are not positioned randomly.
Instead, they fit in with the structural options that the
model of the shell permits. Each rooflight has a totally
different geometry and the largest ones measure 40m.

The elephant house is designed as a reinforced
concrete ring. The shape of the undulating edge to the
roof depends on the particular functions underneath.
The heights and design of the supporting structure were
influenced by the impact and attack heights of the
elephants (6 tonnes at a height of 2.5 metres), the sightlines between internal and external areas for visitors,
and the door clearances required.

The complexity of the roof shell is matched by that of

the facade. The connections between the cranked
glulam facade posts and the edge of the roof had to be
designed in such a way that they could accommodate
vertical deformations amounting to tens of centimetres.
Ring beam in double curvature
The main difference between this dome and a conventional dome design is that the roof shell to the elephant
house is not supported at one level. It was therefore
impossible to create a tension ring that could resist the
horizontal thrust, which would have simplified the
foundations considerably. Instead, the perimeter of the
roof is more like a beam subjected to biaxial bending
because in order to be able to prestress the ring beam
against the shell, the steel cables constantly change
their position within the cross-section, from top to bottom
depending on whether they are in the crest or the
valley of the beam. Every point of inflexion is in front
of a support, which leads to bending about the weak
axis as well.

The solution: a multi-layer composite cross-section

In structural terms, the roof functions as a shell with
stiffening rays. To achieve this, the engineers devised a

Poor subsoil in some areas
multi-layer cross-section with a flexible combination of
The site is located on a slope, which is why the building cross-laminated timber (CLT) boards and solid structural
and its basement disappear into the hill on one side and timber sections.
the ground slab lies on rock. On the valley side, how
Three layers of CLT, each 8 centimetres thick, together
ever, where the separate roof supports are located, the form the 24 centimetre thick primary structure. This
ground had little bearing capacity and was vulnerable
primary structure consists of a total of 600 individual
to settlement. Anchoring back to the underlying rock was pieces that are fitted together like a puzzle with half
therefore essential.
a million nails. Screwed on top of these around the open
The difficult subsoil conditions called for a lightweight ings are three-part solid timber ribs that strengthen
structure and so timber was considered. The timber
the timber shell; along the main rays they are positioned
shell without any intermediate supports is bounded by
between the openings. The whole roof is insulated with
a reinforced concrete ring beam and prestressed by the
24 centimetre thick mineral wool. A 57 millimetre thick
prestressing forces of the steel cables (up to 120 metres Kerto Q panel forms the top chord to the 54 centimetre
long) in the beam. The lowest points of the ring beam
deep structural cross-section.
are the five support zones. These transfer the forces from
Above this structure, timber blocks are attached so
the roof to the four groups of columns and the curving
that there is a space for services, a sort of raised access
external wall around the stalls, which accounts for about floor. The blocks are arranged in such a way that they
one-third of the perimeter of the building and constitutes also help to position the pairs of criss-crossing screws
a continuous linear support.
driven home at 45 degrees.

To resist the horizontal thrust of the shell at the

Additional two-part solid timber ribs and wood-based
lowest points, the supports on the valley side are tied back panels form the insulating layer. The upper sheathing,
to the bedrock with prestressed ground anchors. The
a 28 millimetre thick wood-cement particleboard, translocal support zones are resolved into individual cantile- fers the forces tangential to the roof surface from
vering wall plates. This load-bearing structure merges
the framing sections of the air-filled cushions to the
with the slats of the timber facade to form a dynamic
structure below.
system that creates fluid transitions between the areas
As the main rays had to be fabricated as flexible
of concentrated load transfer and the intermediate
composite cross-sections, relatively large deformations
transparent facade sections.
occur. These have been estimated to be on an order of

A The elephant house with its striking roof is

situated in the middle of the elephant park.

Example of the flattened, or rather developed,

cutting pattern for the panel strips

C Section through elephant house showing geology.

There is a layer of sand and a compacted earth-sand
mix both inside and outside. The very shallow roof
shell leads to horizontal forces of up to 500 tonnes
acting on the individual supports.

Reinforced concrete piers and ring beam showing

the positions of the prestressing cables

E The shell model with load-bearing ray arches

generated using the finite element method (FEM).
Polygonal meshes that subdivide the mathematically
precise geometrical areas into calculable individual
pieces form the starting point for every FEM analysis.

Zuschnitt 3. Lage, M. 1:200

29

ca.80m

18m
E
New fill
Backfill
Moraine
Bedrock
C

Maintenance walkway

Frame to air-filled cushion

Building physics
cross-section
Space for services
Kerto top chord
Structural
cross-section
54cm

Edge beam
Main ray
CLT panels

HAS-M20

Perspective view
C

Typical section; the dowel-type fasteners ensure

the necessary ductility and robustness.

C Typical section showing reinforced concrete

ring beam, fixed-based glulam facade posts, and
cantilevering beam (with pinned connection at
ring beam)

magnitude compatible with conventional timber structures (l/300). The air-filled cushions therefore had
to be designed in such a way that they could be prefabricated but so the fixing of the perimeter framing to
the supporting structure could compensate for tolerances
of 23 centimetres.

The topmost sheathing is finished with a layer of
waterproofing material. The maintenance level is raised
50 centimetres clear of that. The final depth of the roof
is about 90 centimetres (excluding maintenance walkway).

Some 15000 screws for a secure rustproof connection
Transferring the forces between the three orthotropic
layers of the roof shell called for nailing over the entire
area. Actually, the 24 centimetre thick primary structure
on its own would have been sufficient to carry the selfweight of the shell. However, in order to achieve the
necessary flexural rigidity required to cope with asymmetric loading cases such as wind or snow, three edge
beams were needed around the rooflights as well as
the panel forming the top chord. Together, they form
a spatial honeycomb structure.

Special screws up to 85 centimetres long were
needed to transfer the shear forces between the Kerto
panels forming the top chord and the roof shell.

31

possible to integrate the specific requirements or define

them more precisely or modify them.
Cutting panels to size for double-curvature

roof geometry
The free-form 3D surface had to be converted into flat 2D
strips for the production and erection of the doublecurvature roof shell. In order to develop the structural
action of the shell, the panel strips had to be as large
as possible. Taking into account the maximum production
and transport dimensions, each of the three layers of
cross-laminated timber were developed with the help of
a software module programmed for this task. They measure up to 3.412 metres in size. The definition of the panel
joints was carried out according to the structural requirements. The pattern of the joints in the bottom layer can
be seen on the soffit of the shell. The patterns of the
joints in all three layers were lined up so it was possible
to mark the lines of the second layer on top of the first.

There are about 200 panels in each layer. Every
panel is unique and required a file in machine code plus
a fabrication drawing. So nothing else could stand in
the way of automated panel production.

First layer over the entire area, second and third

with openings
The double-curvature roof to the elephant house was
erected on temporary timber ribs. To do this, ribs were
attached to scaffolding falsework erected over the
entire area to reproduce the negative form of the roof
shell. The three layers of CLT boards forming the primary
structure were laid on this falsework. Each layer was
turned through 60 degrees with respect to the previous
one supported on the ribs, giving the roof its shape so
that the principal load-bearing direction of each layer
points towards one support area.

To simplify erection on site, the structural engineers
chose the panel construction so that it could be easily
bent about two axes. The panel self-weight was almost
sufficient in itself to give them the right form when laid
on the falsework.

For reasons of stability, the first layer did not have
any openings when first erected, whereas the openings
for the rooflights had already been cut in the second
layer. To position the second layer, the openings had been
marked on the first layer. The openings in the third layer
were factory-cut and this layer served as a template
for the rooflights. Chainsaws were used to cut through all
three layers cleanly after installing all fixings.

Precise design data thanks to automated

numerical models
The construction solution for the roof shell is the result
of an iterative form-finding procedure using parametric
software. The aim of the parametric 3D model was to
integrate the extensive architectural and engineering
boundary conditions in the programmes from the first draft
design phase onwards so that it would be possible to
generate and verify the complete 3D geometry automatically. This model was required because it was necessary to reproduce the anisotropic properties of the
wood in the multi-layer, flexible composite section with
sufficient accuracy.

Several programmes were needed to create the parametric 3D model. The definitions of the beams, nodes,
and edges projected onto plan plus the distribution of the
nodes over the entire model with a selectable density
were incorporated in the model, initially as 2D information.
Afterwards, the entire model was deformed in three
dimensions while retaining the positions of the openings.

As well as the geometry, it was also possible to import
component parameters as well as all the structural
system parameters defined by the engineers, e.g.spring
supports and combinations, into the 3D model. It was
therefore possible to check the output of every subpro- Ring beam concrete not poured until roof shell in place
grammes and carry out any modifications necessary
The designers formed the transition to the ring beam in
or deal with exceptions manually. So at every stage it was such a way that the first layer could be used directly as

formwork. The top-side formwork needed when using

self-compacting concrete was also integrated into the
load-bearing structure. This method created a fixed
support for the roof shell at the ring beam, which was
not cast until the roof shell had been erected. Upon
completing the ring beam, the roof became self-supporting and the falsework could be taken down.
Timber blocks forming space for services also help

to position and install screws
The erection of the edge beams and main rays followed
according to an exact layout drawing, plus the formation
of the space for services with timber blocks. The timber
blocks were laid out in such a way that they could be

used to help position the pairs of screws driven home at

45 degrees which tie together the multi-layer composite
structural cross-section. The diagonal full-thread screws
form a sort of truss in the flexible composite construction
so that the necessary flexural rigidity is achieved.

The blocks prescribe the number, position and installation direction of the screws and also provide good
guidance for the 85 centimetre long fasteners. They
simplified erection considerably.

The behaviour of the seven-part composite crosssection is similar in tension and compression. Owing to the
substantial flexibility in the joints, however, the flexural
rigidity is only about 30 per cent of that of a comparable
cross-section with rigid connections. sjf

A Once the CLT boards had been nailed together,

chainsaws were used to cut the openings in the first
layer and trim those in the second layer to size.

A layer of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) was

added above the finished roof shell to provide
a maintenance walkway.

Erecting the edge beams and main rays

The second and third layers were supplied with

factory-cut openings for the rooflights.

D
B

E 3D schematic exploded view of the overlapping

principle of the edge beams in the various layers.
At the ray joints, only every second member is
continuous in each direction. Diagonal WR-T screws
(top) and other SFS screw types (WT-T, WS-T and
composite screw VB) connect the three layers
of cross-laminated timber making up the roof shell.

The timber blocks forming the space for services

also helped to position and guide the 85 centimetre
long WR-T special screws installed at 45 degrees.

This aerial view shows the impressive network

structure of the large roof shell.

G -->
C

Project Elephant house, Zurich Zoo, www.zoo.ch

Form of construction Engineered timber construction on reinforced
concrete supporting structure
Construction period May 2011 to May 2014
Costs approx.SFr41 million
Enclosed volume 68000m
Client Zoo Zrich AG, 8044 Zurich, Switzerland, www.zoo.ch
Overall management cgaconsulting group aeberhard gmbh,
8400 Winterthur, Switzerland, www.cgateam.ch; BGS&Partner Architekten
AG, 8640 Rapperswil, Switzerland, www.bgs-architekten.ch
Architecture Markus Schietsch Architekten GmbH, 8004 Zurich,
Switzerland, www.markusschietsch.com

Site management Fischer Architekten AG, 8045 Zurich, Switzerland

(site co-management, detailed design of stalls/lodge),
www.fischer-architekten.ch; BGS&Partner Architekten AG,
8640 Rapperswil, Switzerland, www.bgs-architekten.ch
Landscape architecture Lorenz Eugster Landschaftsarchitektur und
Stdtebau GmbH, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland, www.lorenzeugster.ch;
vetschpartner Landschaftsarchitekten AG, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland,
www.vetschpartner.ch
Structural&facade engineering, site management for timber construction/
building envelope Walt+Galmarini AG, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland,
www.waltgalmarini.com
Building services engineers Tri Air Consulting AG, 8645 Jona, Switzerland,
www.triair.ch
Electrical engineers Schmidiger+Rosasco AG, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland,
www.srzh.ch
Parametric design Kaulquappe GmbH, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland,
www.kaulquappe.net
Erection of timber structure Elefantenpark Holzbau consortium:
Implenia Schweiz AG Holzbau, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland, www.implenia.com;
STRABAG AG Holzbau, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland, www.strabag.com
Panel production&facade design MERK Timber GmbH, Zblin Holzingenieurbau, 86551 Aichach, Germany, www.merk.de
Fasteners (screws) SFS intec AG, 9435 Heerbrugg, Switzerland,
www.sfsintec.biz

Air-filled cushions Vector Foiltec GmbH, 28717 Bremen, Germany,

www.vector-foiltec.com
Quantity of timber used 14000m CLT boards (500t timber) in 600
separate pieces 400m edge beams/main rays (150t solid structural
timber); 3500m Kerto top-chord panels (100t)
Quantity of timber used 2041m
Carbon (C) content 510.25t
Sequestered CO 1871t

p.36

p.42

p.48

p.54

p.60

Commercial
buildings
G3 Shopping
Resort
Warehouse
Railway operations
centre
Organic
supermarket
Casa Salute

37

Shopping below
a giant wave

The G3 Shopping Resort,

a huge shopping mall in
Gerasdorf on the outskirts
of Vienna, opened its
doors for the first time in
October 2012. Particularly
conspicuous is the long wavy
roof which is made up
of cross-laminated timber
panels in different sizes
and bent to different forms.

The G3 in the name symbolises the fact that there are

three large building complexes in Gerasdorf positioned
around a central car park: a shopping centre, a specialist retail centre, and a DIY store. And the Resort in
the name is intended to suggest to visitors that this is
an especially pleasant place for relaxing and spending
their time.

The shopping centre is the largest of the three buildings. It is covered by a boomerang-shaped timber roof
that is 740 metres long and 70 to 140 metres wide, with
an area of 58000m. Resembling a giant wave, the form
of the roof is just as impressive as its dimensions. It
consists of curved glued laminated timber beams supporting the roof decking of cross-laminated timber (CLT)
panels, all supported on about 800 columns, some of
which are 20 metres high. The shops along the sides of
the mall have conventional flat roofs, also in timber.

The architects and structural engineers worked
together to conceive the roof structure. The glulam beams
of the giant wave are positioned on the building
grid-lines 8 metres apart and form the primary structure
together with the fixed-base steel and reinforced
concrete columns. The roof plate on top of the beams
constitutes the secondary structure bracing the entire
building. Owing to the considerable variation in form,
which also has to accommodate two large teardropshaped openings, three different structural systems
were needed:

In the long end sections the glulam beams slope

inwards, are connected in the middle via special steel
nodes, and are supported on reinforced concrete
external columns and Y-shaped steel central columns.
In the middle of the building, three-part glulam
beamsthe longest parts are up to 80 metres long
span from the outer reinforced concrete columns
over two internal steel tree columns, each with four
branches. Steel nodes connect the three-part
beams rigidly by means of steel plates let into the
timber with elongated holes for the steel dowels
so that changes in length can be accommodated
without restraint.
In the areas with the teardrop-shaped openings,
simply supported glulam beams are used, spanning
between reinforced concrete columns.
In addition, there are transverse beams that function as
tension and compression members. These are positioned
along the edge of the roof on the axes of the reinforced
concrete columns and in the middle of the roof aligned
with the tops of the columns.

The roof to the mall is 740 metres long and 80 metres

wide at its widest point, the main entrance. It covers
the retailing paradise like a giant wave.

Roof plate assembled from unique panels

The undulating roof form curving in all directions posed
certain challenges for the design team at Graf-Holztechnik. Cross-laminated timber is easy to bend up to
a certain point and so rounded forms are possible.
However, managing to curve the roof surface in two

G3 Shopping Resort, Gerasdorf

38

Deliveries

Shop

Ramp

Mall

Shop

Shop

Mall

Shop

A Aerial view of the curving, wave-shaped timber

roof shell during construction; the difference in height
at the middle is about 8 metres.

Model of mall roof with longitudinal and transverse

members forming primary structure and CLT roof
plate (here in aluminium) as secondary structure

B
D

C -> Spacious and airythe shopping mall after

completion

Section through the areas with the droplet-shaped

roof openings

D -->
Ramp
Deliveries

Shop

Shop

Shop

Mall

Shop

E ->
E

Section through building in long end sections

directions called for careful planning with respect to

the detailing of the elements, the arrangement of the
joints between panels, and the connections between
them to form a plate.

The 3D design software cadwork was used to design
every panel, because almost every one of them is
unique. Although most of the panels are 16 metres long
spanning two baysand 3 metres wide and thus
identical in terms of their plan dimensions, the thickness required from the structural engineering viewpoint
had to be calculated for each panel separately in order
to end up with a design that was as slim and economic
as possible. The upshot of that was thirteen different
panel thicknesses ranging from 9.4 to 24 centimetres.

During erection, the individual panels were laid like
sheet materials and offset by half a panel length each
time. For the 16 metre long panels, the curvature of the
roof surface resulted in height differences of up to one
metre measured across the diagonal from lowest to
highest corner. In addition, owing to the unequal curvatures of the roof, every panel twists slightly differently.
In some instances this geometry led to gaps up to
2 centimetres wide between the longitudinal edges of
neighbouring panels. As it was still possible to form
a plate like this, the opening and closing of the joints was
accepted, which saved elaborate, costly machining of
the panel edges. A suspended ceiling ensures that the
joints are not visible from underneath.
39

Shear connectors, nails, screws, and flange head

screws ensure plate action
The panels were joined via shear connectors made from
25 millimetre thick OSB strips fitted on top of the panels.
The site crews laid the strips in corresponding recesses
factory-cut in the edges of the panels and nailed them
to the cross-laminated timber panels to create a shearresistant connection. The panels were also screwed to the
glulam beams along the joints.

In addition, the longitudinal sides of the panels
are held together with flange head screws in order to
harmonise the different sags of the CLT panels
between the glulam beams and create a stable whole.

With different thicknesses of CLT panels being used,
the soffit was flush after erection but the level of the
upper surface changed from panel to panel. In order to
compensate for this, different thicknesses of thermal
insulation were laid to suit the panels below.

A cold-applied self-adhesive vapour barrier was laid
between the timber roof and the insulation. On top of
the insulation there is merely a layer of PVC-free FPO
waterproof sheeting.

Brief preparation time and demanding logistics
The big challenge for the timber contractor was the very
short time available for preparations: the contract for
the roof structure was awarded in early December 2010
and erection had to begin as soon as 1 April 2011. So
there were only four months for preparing the work and
prefabrication.

Complete 3D CAD drawings of all the elements had
to be ready by mid-January 2011 so that they could
be made available to the cross-laminated timber supplier
for precise CNC machining. To do that, the timber contractors engineers had to design every detail and every
connection so that the design team could import the
results into the 3D CAD system and produce the necessary
drawings for machining and assembly. The same
was done for the primary structure of glued laminated
timber beams and the column connections, each at
a different angle.

The exact position of every panel and the erection
sequence already had to be taken into account early
on during the detailed design work so that the panels could
be produced and delivered to site in the correct order.
All CLT parts were allocated a transport number which
included component designation, member number,
panel thickness, and position on delivery vehicle. Structural location drawings were also prepared so that every
panel could be erected in the right position on site.
Some 9000 working hours were needed to produce the
fabrication drawings for the timber elements, which in
the end filled about 100 folders.
On site it was like assembling a giant jigsaw puzzle
Interim storage of the prefabricated timber elements was
on the fabricators premises and so storage areas on site
were unnecessary. The elements were then delivered to
site load by load as required and erected immediately by
a crew of fifty specialists. Every day they erected between
1200 and 1500m of panels. A total of 160 journeys was
necessary for the 8000m of cross-laminated timber.
Decision in favour of a CLT roof
The tender issued by the architects included two roof
decking options: OSB-sheathed timber-frame elements
with integral thermal insulation and smart vapour
barrier, or the cross-laminated timber version. Although
the latter cost 11 per cent more, the client opted for
this because it resulted in better building physics and
structural results, including the more flexible arrangement
of the building services inside the building.

The fact that the CLT plate is able to accommodate
large wind or seismic forces and wind on the facade
plus the roof cantilevers of up to 8 metres were other
important arguments in favour of this option. sjf

G3 Shopping Resort, Gerasdorf

East

Grid-line I

West

Grid-line II

Grid-line III

A
B

40
Project G3 Shopping Resort in Gerasdorf near Vienna
Form of construction, shopping centre Engineered timber structure
Construction period, shopping centre November 2010 to autumn 2012
Opened to the public Autumn 2012
Timber structure erection, shopping centre April to July 2011
Financial investment 200 million
Gross floor area approx.90000m
Usable floor area approx.88000m

Client/developer HY Immobilien Ypsilon GmbH, Vienna (subsidiary of BAI

Bautrger Austria Immobilien GmbH, 1020 Vienna, Austria, www.bai.at)
Project development BAI Bautrger Austria Immobilien GmbH,
1020 Vienna, Austria, www.bai.at
Architecture, preliminary calculations, integrated planning ATP
Architekten und Ingenieure, 1030 Vienna, Austria, www.atp.ag
Detailed calculations, timber structure Graf-Holztechnik GmbH,
3580 Horn, Austria, www.graf-holztechnik.at, in cooperation with
Dipl.-Ing.Johann Zehetgruber Ziviltechniker GmbH, 3910 Zwettl, Austria
Timber contractor Graf-Holztechnik GmbH, 3580 Horn, Austria,
www.graf-holztechnik.at
Checking engineers RWT Plus ZT GmbH, Dr.-Ing.Richard Woschitz,
1010 Vienna, Austria, www.rwt.at
Site management Leyrer+Graf Baugesellschaft m.b.H., 3580 Horn,
Austria, www.leyrer-graf.at
Production&supply of CLT panels: Mayr-Melnhof Holz Reuthe GmbH,
6870 Reuthe, Austria, www.mm-holz.com, and Stora Enso Wood
Products GmbH, 9462 Bad St.Leonhard, Austria, www.clt.info
Quantity of timber used 11500m
Carbon (C) content 2875t
Sequestered CO 10534t

11.9

11.9

1.0
11.5

Nailing to drg. 50_559_316

11.9

11.9

OSB 25mm

11.5

2.0

OSB 25mm

Nailing to drg. 50_559_316

16.0

11.9

15.0

0.5

G
8.0

8.0

41

Section through roof in long end sections; all

supports are pinned.

Connection between symmetrical, inward-sloping

glulam beams in the long roof gussets beyond
the elongated teardrop-shaped openings

C --> Steel dowels and plates with elongated holes let

into the timber connect the three-part glulam beams
rigidly together in the middle of the roof.

The difference in height in the middle of the

curving roof form is about 8 metres.

D -->

E Transverse joint between CLT panels over

glulam beam

Cross-laminated timber longitudinal joint without

change in thickness

Cross-laminated timber longitudinal joint with

change in thickness

H Every CLT panel spans two bays. They are screwed

to the glulam beams at the transverse joints.
I Each CLT panel was erected offset by half a
panel length.
J The rebates along the edges of the panels
accommodate the OSB strips.

Solid timber instead

of trusses

A timber wholesaler has

used the new buildings
of a branch depot to demonstrate the options that
modern engineered timber
construction can offer.
For economic reasons, solid
timber beams have been
used instead of open trusses
for the extremely complex
roof structure to the warehouse. The regular spacing
of the beams results
in a calm, homogeneous
appearance.

Even from a distance, the huge warehouse for the

Philippsburg-Huttenheim branch of timber wholesaler
Scheiffele-Schmiederer (SCS) is a real eye-catcher,
due to its size, on the one hand, and to its unusual roofscape, on the other. Some 3000m of material are stored
here, ranging from structural timber products, e.g. glued
laminated timber and solid structural timber sections,
right up to wood-based products such as OSB, threeand multi-ply cross-laminated timber and panels for roofs
and walls. Several articulated vehicles and large commercial vehicles are available for deliveries to customers.
The large quantities of stored materials and the vehicle
movements had to be considered in the planning.

laminated timber, steel sheet, and polycarbonate dominate. Contrasting with the concrete roads and hardstandings and fixed-base reinforced concrete columns, the
entire roof structure is built from slender glulam beams.

The 160 metre long structure consists of two
warehouse blocks totalling 70 metres in width. Each warehouse has one narrow and one wide monopitch roof,
with different heights and sloping in opposite directions.
Further storage space could be added in the future by
continuing this modular principle.

43

Clients stipulation: no trusses for long spans

Each warehouse block is based on three bays, which is
reflected in the shape of the roof. Each wide monopitch

Less is more
roof spans two bays, the narrow ones just one bay. Over
Essentially, the designers chose the materials based
the storage zones the spans of the glulam beams are
on function and minimum costs; the aesthetics of the new relatively short (12 metres), continuous over two spans
building should come about through successful forms
below the wide roof and simply supported below the
and the skilful combination of building materials. There- narrow roof. However, the beams above the access and
fore, simple industrial materials such as concrete, glued
loading zones are all simply supported beams spanning
View of loading zone. The glulam beams carrying the
monopitch roof span 24 metres from column to column,
or from the longitudinal beam on the right to a post
supported on the longitudinal beam on the left. The
regular spacing of the glulam beams disguises the
complex structural system and ensures a calm appearance.

A Site layout showing positions of columns. The

areas of the monopitch roofs coincide with the
column grid.
B

Section through warehouse

C The impressive thing about the warehouse is its

size and its vigorous roofscape, which ensures an
agreeable lightness.
Storage 1

Storage 3

Loading zone

Warehouse, Philippsburg

44

s
Office

S h ow

room

Storage 2

24 or 27 metres. That called for a sophisticated structural solution. For financial reasons, the client wanted
the warehouse to be built of solid timber sections
instead of trusses, which are complicated to assemble
and erect. The designers had to devise a uniform
construction configuration for the different structural
situations. To do this, they specified glulam beams
with approximately identical cross-sections on all main
longitudinal grid-lines, functioning as continuous
beams supported on the reinforced concrete columns.
At the top of each column the support is in the form
of a fork, providing lateral restraint to the beam, but
the beams at the lower level are threaded through
a slot formed in the columns. The 12 to 24 metre long
roof beams span between the reinforced concrete
columns or run from the longitudinal beams to posts
supported on the longitudinal beams at the lower level.
Transverse beams spanning between the roof beams
form the supporting structure for the roof decking and
at the same time provide lateral restraint to the roof
beams. On the outer longitudinal grid-line, the buckling
length of the roof beams above the loading zone has
been shortened by installing diagonal struts. They form
a type of inclined truss that provides additional stability
for the building.

The roof structure above the storage zones is
designed according to the same principle but modified
to suit the structural circumstances. Rows of K-bracing
brace the roof structure.
45

Compartmentation for fire protection

The load-bearing structure has an F30 fire resistance
rating. For fire protection purposes, the 13000m warehouse area is divided into fire compartments. Every
storage zone forms a separate fire compartment and there
is a reinforced concrete fire wall between the two rear
storage zones. At the front of the building, the very wide
access zone is deemed to be a separating element, and the
loading zone was classed as having virtually no fire load.

smoke vents. In the event of a fire, a further 3 per cent

is supplied by the polycarbonate sheets in the roof;
exposed to fire, they melt and drop to the floor (but produce no hazardous burning droplets).

The bent metal trapezoidal profile sheets on the
facade help to reduce the bulk of this voluminous structure, giving it an elegant appearance. Transparent vertical
joints in the facade help to diminish the apparent width
of the building. The bottommost row of dark sheets
looks like a plinth and creates the illusion of a base.
Timber box on reinforced concrete
The architects placed a two-storey office building
next to the warehouse, and the quality of the formers
architecture is in no way inferior to that of the latter.
The roughly 34 metre long, 13.50 metre wide building
rests on a roughly one metre high reinforced concrete
plinth. Raising the building in this way ensures that
staff in the ground-floor offices do not have to look at
the tyres and chassis of the vehicles passing by, and
instead are more or less on the level of the drivers.
However, at the back of the building the storeroom and
workshop are positioned level with the ground, i.e. not
raised on a plinth.

The upper floor contains the archives and staff
welfare amenities, including rooms for changing and washing, plus two long loggias. The client wanted maximum
sound insulation between the two storeys and at the
same time an open-plan office without any intervening
columns to the right of the long access ramp. A suitable
floor structure was required to span this area measuring
about 1010 metres and at the same time provide the
necessary sound insulation. Good room acoustics were
also required.

Hybrid timber and reinforced concrete construction

Apart from the plinth and the rear part of the building,
which is made of precast concrete components, the
office building is a timber structure. Together with the
structural engineers, the architects selected the optimum

Polycarbonate and metal trapezoidal profile sheets
design configuration for the load-bearing structure in

for external skin
each case depending on the logistical and architectural
The external walls and the roof surfaces are made from requirements as well as the structural and building
metal trapezoidal profile sheets and transparent polyphysics needs. Therefore, the timber part of the buildcarbonate sheets. The sides of the building are left
ing is a hybrid structure made of very diverse
open around the access and loading zones. So full weather timber elements. Whereas the timber construction for
protection is only provided for those areas where the
the walls to the ground and upper floors could be
timber is stored.
restricted to cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels and

Good cross-ventilation is ensured by the rooflights
a load-bearing post-and-rail arrangement in laminated
and the metal trapezoidal profile sheets on the facade
veneer lumber (LVL) around the glass facade (partly
which are bent outwards with timber fillets. The
supported on timber spandrel panels), it was necessary
ventilation area corresponds to 2 per cent of the plan area to combine various timber elements and design
of the building and hence the exact area required for
approaches for the suspended floor and the roof. One

Warehouse, Philippsburg
46

interesting detail is the lift shaft in cross-laminated

timber.

The architects chose a construction consisting
of timber box elements for the suspended floor over the
open-plan office. Despite their low self-weight and low
structural depth, these elements have a high loadcarrying capacity and can span up to 8 metres. However,
as the span over the open-plan office is 10 metres, the
structural engineers decided to use two layers of these
box elements bonded with adhesive. The suspended
floor is therefore 44 centimetres deep. To improve the
room acoustics, perforated boards and absorbent
fleece were attached to the soffit.

And to reduce sound transmissions between the
storeys, the timber boxes were filled with calcium silicate
bricks and chippings. These attenuate oscillations
and therefore minimise the propagation of footstep noise.
Combined with the floor finishes, they help to achieve
an impact sound insulation value of forty-two decibels.

Timber box elements with acoustic perforations and
sound attenuation have also been used above the reception. However, the shorter span here (6.40m) required
only one layer. A floor of cross-laminated timber was
adequate for all the other offices, reinforced concrete for
the storeroom and workshop.
Roof as cold deck with air space and hangers for loggia
The roof structure uses 39 centimetre deep, thermally
insulated hollow box elements made of FJI beams
(Kerto LVL flanges+OSB webs, clad both sides). On top
of those there is a secondary waterproofing layer and
then an air space. As with a conventional roof frame,
a purlins/rafters arrangement supports a shallow-pitch
roof covered with waterproof sheeting without a

granular finish. Six 62.5 centimetre deep LVL beams were

built into the roof over the length of the loggia, which
cantilevers over the entrance area and ramp, so that the
loggia could be suspended from glulam hangers. Each
beam has a 10 metre long simply supported span and
a 3.5 metre cantilever. The dead load of the roof structure,
which is attached to the hollow box elements, is sufficient to balance the load on the cantilever, which means
that no uplift forces act at the far end of the beam.

Passive house-compliant building envelope
The quality of the building envelope corresponds to that
of a passive house. The CLT external walls to the ground
and upper floors have 30 centimetres of thermal insulation
between the FJI beams forming the frame. Diffusionpermeable wood fibre boards are used for the inside
face to the walls. The space between the fair-face
concrete facing leaf and the plinth, or the CLT spandrel
panels to the open-plan office, has also been filled
with 30 centimetres of thermal insulation. Well-insulated
roof elements and triple-glazed windows complete
the passive house-compliant building envelope. For
example, the U-value of the external walls on the upper
floor is 0.116W/mK, that of the roof 0.1004W/mK.

Worthy of a prize
Although the office building and the warehouse are
separate and based on different design vocabularies, they
nevertheless form a convincing whole. The office building was one of the first winners of the HolzbauPlus
competition organised by Germanys Federal Ministry
of Food&Agriculture for the first time in 2013. It
was selected as a winner in the Commercial Buildings
category out of 150 submissions. sjf

A Reinforced concrete columns with slots for

threading the lower longitudinal beams and fork
supports at the top for the roof beams
B The LIGNATUR flat elements (LFE) were assembled
with the help of steel beams matching the depth
of the elements, which provided supports for the
suspended floor.
C After erection, the elements are filled with
chippings and calcium silicate bricks are laid in the
slots in the top of each suspended floor element
to act as sound attenuators.

The soffits to the floor elements are perforated

to improve the room acoustics and have one major
advantage: structural carcass=fitting-out.

E The new office building is a compact block

allowing many views in and out. The facade is divided
into two zones: a mineral one below, an organic
one in wood above.
F Exploded view: apart from the plinth made of
precast concrete elements at the back of the building, this is a timber building with a passive housecompliant envelope; it undercuts Germanys 2009
energy conservation legislation by 40 per cent.

47

Project New warehouse and office building for

Scheiffele-Schmiederer KG in Philippsburg-Huttenheim

Form of construction Engineered timber construction

Completed 2011
Construction period Warehouse: February to October 2011;
offices: April 2011 to February 2012
Costs not specified
Usable floor area 11335m (warehouse), 767m (offices)
Enclosed volume 142500m (warehouse), 4437m (offices)
Client Scheiffele-Schmiederer KG, 76661 Philippsburg, Germany,
www.scheiffele-schmiederer.de
Architecture gumpp.heigl.schmitt architekten, 80336 Munich,
Germany, www.gumpp-heigl-schmitt.de
Structural engineering Warehouse: Dr Linse Ingenieure GmbH,
80333 Munich, Germany, www.drlinse.de; offices: Ingenieurbro von
Fragstein, 76829 Landau, Germany, www.von-fragstein.com
Timber contractor Warehouse: Hess Timber GmbH&Co. KG,
63924 Kleinheubach, Germany, www.hess-timber.com; offices: Holzbau
Tretter, 67435 Neustadt/Weinstrae-Mubach, Germany,
www.mit-gunst-und-verlaub.mussbach.de
Checking engineers Warehouse&offices: Ing.-Bro Bla&Eberhard,
76227 Karlsruhe, Germany, www.ing-bue.de

49

New heart in an old line

Since 2013 lower Austria has

had a new landmark: the
new operations centre at
Laubenbachmhle station
on the Mariazell Railway.
A design with a timber roof
structure triumphed in
the architectural competition.
The ribbed shell spans all
the different parts of the
station but still allows ample
daylight into the interior.

Some years ago, Austrian Federal Railways announced its

plan to close all unprofitable branch lines. The state of
Lower Austria reacted to this by taking over a number of
the lines, including the Mariazell Railway, and keeping
them running for tourists.

This line has become the star representing all branch
lines. It was built in the early 19th century and was
the first narrow gauge line to be electrified. Starting in
St Plten, it runs into the Pielach Valley and then over
the mountains to Mariazell.

As the route is unique also in terms of its cultural
history, the state decided to upgrade the line and equip
it with new rolling stock. However, the old workshops
and facilities in St Plten were already more like a museum
and so a new operations centre for the technical infrastructure had to be built as well.

Competition produces the perfect answer

An open, international competition for the master planning
and implementation of this demanding project was
initiated in 2011. The specification covered the construction
of three buildings: a shed for storing the rolling stock,
a workshop, and a roof over the station. Besides the
operational functions, the complete ensemble also had
to take tourism into account.

United compactly under one roof and well integrated

into the landscape
The winning design brought together all three buildings
under one roof and in doing so created a homogeneous
structure that blends into its surroundings. The jury also
liked the idea of using timber for the structure as Lower
Austria favours ecological forms of construction.

Furthermore, the architects positioned the workshop

A tourist attraction like Switzerlands
and the rolling stock shed one behind the otherinstead

Glacier Express
of next to each other as is common for railway facilities
Laubenbachmhle station was chosen as the ideal location yet were still able to combine them skilfully with the
for the new operations centre. Ideal because not only
through-station. Workshop and shed are positioned a short
is it in the middle of the line, it is also the place where the distance apart alongside the valley line, turned at a
breathtaking trip to Mariazell begins, where the train
small angle to the line itself. The ensuing gap between
winds its way up the mountain in wide loops. The declared the buildings at the apex of this broad V shape created
aim was to create a tourist attraction modelled on the
a spacious entrance forecourt that steers visitors towards
Glacier Express in Switzerland.
the platforms.
Interior view of the storage shed with its five tracks.
The resolved roof structure and the special wall
structures composed of steel columns and timberclad timber-frame walls allow plenty of glass
to be included to admit ample daylight and provide
all-round views in and out.

Railway operations centre, Laubenbachmhle

The diamond-shaped framing to the shallow barrel vault

roofs is intended to simulate criss-crossing tracks. The
form of the long, undulating lines of the vegetation on the
surrounding hills was taken up by the architects for
the design of the curving roof. In the process they also
succeeded in integrating the buildings in such a way
that their height is hardly apparent.

50

The primary and secondary roof beams thus always

intersect at the supports or cross in the middle of the
large bay. This produced a triangular or diamond-type
grid in which the architects have placed the rooflights.

The structural engineers developed the nodes
together with the timber contractor. Special steel plates
were fitted to the secondary beams (intersecting at
an acute angle), which were then connected with one bolt

Form follows function
on site. This solution enabled simple, fast erection and
Both shed and workshop measure approximately
rendered the connections almost invisible. A highly accurate
64 metres long37.5 metres widedimensions specified 3D CAD model was used to transfer the design data
right from the start to suit train lengths and track numbers. to the machinery for CNC fabrication.
Inside the shed, five trains can be stored alongside each
other. Directly adjacent are ancillary facilities and a sixth
Space for services between roof structure and
track for the washing shed. The workshop building has three
roof decking
tracks and includes various rooms for storage, working,
The fire protection concept included a sprinkler installation
plant, and staff, including changing and sanitary facilities. for the entire complex. In order to provide room for

The 12 metre maximum building height and the
the sprinkler pipework and other services, a continuous
radii of the curving barrel vault roof with its rising end
space was provided between the roof structure and
section were dictated by the headroom required by
the roof decking by raising the decking on battens at the
the trains and the minimum clearances between train,
same level as the ribs of the roof elements. At the same
overhead lines, and roof or workshop facilities.
time these function as the supporting framework for the
soffit. This solution essentially ruled out using the roof
Diamond pattern formed by primary beams and
decking as a stiffening diaphragm, which would have been

diagonal secondary beams
very awkward anyway with such a large number
The two identical sheds each have four longitudinal
of rooflights.
grid-lines (A, B, B', and C) about 11 metres apart. Three of
these form the support lines for the roof structure, i.e.

Structural stability
a ribbed reinforced concrete wall designed by the structural Lateral support to prevent buckling of the main beams
engineers as the end support on grid-line A, reinforced
is provided at a spacing of about 11 metresvia the
concrete deep beams on columns on grid-line B as
fork supports at the reinforced concrete deep beam and
the intermediate support, and pairs of steel columns with via torsion-resistant connections to the beams over
intervening timber-clad timber-frame walls as the other
the platforms.
end support on grid-line C.

Near the end supports, above the high-level windows

The roughly 36 metre long glued laminated timber
in the external walls, lateral stability for the beams is
main beams (bh=24cm110150123cm, GL32) of
ensured by bolting them to the roof elements, in some
the roof structure form shallow arches spanning the
cases combined with steel X-bracing. Furthermore, in
three grid-lines at a spacing of 5 metres; the first bay
the 22 metre shed span there are strengthened ribs in
(AB) measures almost 11 metres, the second (BC)
the roof decking which are designed as continuous
about 22 metres.
members capable of taking tension or compression and

Whereas at their end supports these main beams
form local roof diaphragms in the 5 metre wide gable
have pinned connections (at one end raking columns pro- end span. These members transfer the bracing forces to
jecting from the ribbed reinforced concrete wall, at the
the reinforced concrete wall, or rather the bracing point
other the pairs of steel columns), in the middle they pass in the outer wall.
through deep cut-outs in the top of the deep beam
forming the intermediate support, which thus constitutes
A-frames in timber-frame walls as surrogate columns
a type of fork support.
The timber-frame walls suspended between the steel

Intersecting diagonally with the main beams at an
columns on steel brackets were supplied as prefabricated
angle of about 25 degrees are the roughly 12 metre long elements measuring 4 metres high10 metres long. Each
glued laminated timber secondary beamslikewise
element consists of substantial top and bottom chords
shallow arches with varying depths (bh=22150123cm/ plus a sort of A-frame with one vertical post. They are
138150cm/110138cm, GL24). Each one therefore
insulated and clad both sides. The frame is located in the
spans an 11 metre longitudinal bay between grid-lines.
middle of the element, and as there is only one steel column

C
B
A
B
A

A Isometric view of the roof structure; the workshop

(left) and rolling stock shed (right) are identical
structures. The primary beams (turquoise) every
5 metres span two bays, the shorter secondary beams
(olive green) intersect with these at an angle.
B Resembling a giant funnel, the entrance forecourt
between the workshop and the rolling stock shed
channels visitors towards the platforms. The glass
facades permit visitors to see into the buildings
left and right.

Workshop and rolling stock shed in a line

alongside the tracks. The station itself links them
skilfully to form a homogeneous complex that
blends into the landscape.

A Space for services (sprinkler pipework and

electric cables) was included between roof structure
and underside of roof decking.

Interior view of workshop building with

overhead crane

C The parallel main beams span two bays. The

shorter secondary beams are mounted diagonally
between these. Main and secondary beams are
connected above the middle of the large bay with
just one bolt.

View of gable end of workshop building. Each

main beam varies in depth and has pinned connections
at the end supports. The intermediate support is
a fork.

Simply supported beams span the approximately

55 metre long2025 metre wide station. A beam of
the same depth supported on pairs of steel columns
forms the intermediate support.
E

Entrance to Laubenbachmhle station seen

from inside

F ->

52

every 10 metres, it carries the loads from a main beam

Roof elements for thermal/sound insulation and
(which are every 5 metres) and acts as a surrogate column
moisture control
transferring the loads to the steel columns on either side.
All roof elements contain thermal insulation and have a
smart vapour barrierapart from those above the washing

Simply supported beams for roof over station
shed, which include a vapour-tight foil that prevents
Grid-line C marks the transition between shed or workshop moisture infiltrating the construction.
and the station roof, whose load-bearing structure is

Perforated cross-laminated timber has been used for
designed to the same principles as those of the other roofs. the soffit to each roof elementagain with the exception
In this case though, the intermediate support is a beam
of the washing shed. These boards satisfy the reverberof the same depth which is supported on pairs of steel
ation time requirements for the various interior areas.
columns. The primary and secondary roof beams are
connected here in such a way that they act as simply

Laubenbachmhle as the focus for travel and culture
supported beams.
More or less exactly thirteen months after announcing

Transparency for a distance of 3 metres above the
the result of the competition, the first train was rolling on
ground is assured here by using pairs of steel columns
the newly laid tracka construction period certainly worthy
combined with 10 metre wide, timber-clad timber-frame of a prize itself! The new operations centre has been
walls. These form the external wall and enable passengers included in the Lower Austria Exhibition 2015 and thereto watch trains on the track beyond the building.
fore this innovative building will be in the public eye. sjf

53

Project Laubenbachmhle station and railway operations centre on the

Mariazell Railway in Frankenfels, Austria
Form of construction Engineered timber structure
Completed 2013
Construction period December 2011 to May 2013
Costs 20 million (net)
Client NVOG Niedersterreichische Verkehrsorganisationsgesellschaft
m.b.H., 3100 St Plten, Austria, www.noevog.at
Architecture/Master plan Architekt Zieser Ziviltechniker GmbH,
3100 St Plten, and 1010 Vienna, Austria, www.zieserarchitekt.com
Structural engineering, timber, structural details RWT plus ZT GmbH,
Dipl.-Ing.Dr Richard Woschitz; project manager: Ing.Anton Oster MSc,
1010 Vienna, Austria, www.rwt.at
Timber contractor Rubner Holzbau GmbH, 3200 Ober-Grafendorf,
Austria, www.rubner.com
Quantity of timber used 1250m
Carbon (C) content 312.5t
Sequestered CO 1146t

54

A new approach to timber- An airtight, non-glued,

frame construction
solid timber fair-face
board has been used for
the first time in the
construction of an organic
supermarket in Luxembourg. This invention from
the Black Forest opens
up extensive options for
timber construction.

55

Agricultural operations around Windhof in Luxembourg

have been organised according to organic principles since
1988. The investment of the organic farmers has not
stopped at modernising their farms. Indeed, it has included
the construction of their own supermarket for organic
produce. Organised in the form of a large-scale farm shop
with a sales area of about 380m, a full range of products is on offer, first and foremost the products of BIOG,
the Luxembourg organic farmers cooperative. One fundamental idea behind this location is to re-acquaint customers with the idea of foodstuffs produced in their region.
For example, windows around the sales area enable
customers to see into the neighbouring stalls. Opened in
February 2014, the organic supermarket uses a new type
of ecological timber-frame construction. This aspect was
important for the client collective because the aim wasin
line with the philosophy of their organic farmsto
achieve a building without health or pollution issues.

whatsoever, consists entirely of pure Black Forest

softwood that is only sawn, planed, and dried. The crux
of the invention is that the individual pieces of timber
are joined by purely mechanical means using a centuriesold, traditional carpentry jointthe dovetail, which
in addition to providing horizontal stability, can also be
loaded in tension to a certain extent. The planks making
up this solid timber product, with a standard thickness of
30 millimetres, are laid diagonally, which means that
the structural forces involved in bracing a timber-frame
building can be resisted more effectively. The structural
analysis is carried out according to Eurocode 5 as sheathing with diagonal bracing. The production of the GFM
panels is based on five individual planks of indigenous,
PEFC-certified silver fir or spruce with a residual moisture content of about 12 per cent into which traditional
carpentry dovetail joints are machined. Afterwards, the
planks are pressed together under high pressure to form
panels 3.21 or 3.91 metres long and 62 centimetres wide.
The building biology alternative to OSB and
Finally, a laser scans the solid timber surface to detect any

particleboard
knot holes or flaws, which are then sealed with a totally
Conventional timber-frame buildings are stiffened with
innocuous hot wax. The panel is then airtight as a whole,
OSB and/or particleboard sheathing, which can contain as testing and approval to DIN 13829 has confirmed. Air
dangerous isocyanates or formaldehyde. However, the
permeabilities between q50 0.01 and 0.23m/mh have
load-bearing timber frame of the organic supermarket is been achieved in different installation situations.
clad and stabilised by a non-glued solid timber board
that has been on the market since 2013. The new board Clients request: facing quality
was invented by Dieter Junker, who christened his buildThe GFM panels do not require a separate vapour barrier.
ing biology alternative GFM (=Glue-Free Massive). This
Two carpenters can install the panels with the help
innovative product contains no building chemicals
of a mechanical suspension system. The panels have an

The interplay of vertical and horizontal external cladding

lends the organic supermarket a dynamic factor.

Organic supermarket, Windhof

overlapping joint that can be fitted with a waterproofing

tape to achieve a certain airtightness where this is
important. By using purely timber for stability and
achieving airtightness without sheeting or foil, timberframe construction can now make inroads into the
market for ecological and non-polluting forms of construction, which up until now have been the province of
solid timber construction.

It is due to this Luxembourg client collective that the
Junker company has added a sanded, fair-face version
to its range of GFM products. While considering the GFM
panel, the farmers had the idea of leaving the wooden
surface exposed inside the supermarket and not covering
it with, for example, plasterboard, as is usually the
case. Although Junker viewed this request with scepticism
because of the dimensional tolerances of the individual
planks and pointed out that the invention was only
intended to be a substitute for OSB, the wooden surfaces
have remained visible. This concept of a simple technical
product that stabilises the timber frame but also satisfies building biology and visual demands has convinced
all those involved with the project. By omitting the
plasterboard, and the time-consuming skimming of the
joints associated with that, it was possible to brace the
timber frame with the GFM panels for the same price as
cheaper, conventional systems. A coat of oil on the sanded
wooden surfaces was the only finishing needed. Apart
from sheathing to timber-frame walls, the solid GFM
panels can also be used for floors, roofs, and facades.

56

Luxembourg longhouse tradition
When designing the organic supermarket with its
elongated rectangular form, architect Stephan Hain let
himself be inspired by the Luxembourg longhouse
tradition on which the old part of the farmyard is based.
In order to combine the old, mineral form with the
new, wooden one, Hain featured parts of an old rubble
stone walldemolished to make way for the supermarket
in the entrance area. His design for the foundations
and ground floor was both simple and efficient. A layer
of cellular glass granulate to prevent rising damp is
covered by a floor slab of industry-grade concrete which
contains the underfloor heating system. Cellular glass
is made entirely from foamed scrap glass and is primarily
used for thermal insulation and stabilisation tasks.
As this relatively lightweight material is incompressible,
watertight, non-toxic, load-bearing, and virtually rotproof, no expensive layers were needed below the ground
floor slab as is usually the case when insulation is laid
in direct contact with the ground. The surface of the concrete ground slab was polished after initial drying and
so the floor was ready immediately after completing the
structural carcass. The high cost of laying additional

insulating, sealing, heating, or other layers could therefore be saved.

Cellulose insulation and green roof
Inside the building the solid timber panels were left
exposed. Outside, however, they were clad with silver fir
battens. In order to integrate the historical and architectural context, Hain used a grey colour to differentiate
the area around the demolished rubble stone wall
and therefore bonded it to the neighbouring old rubble
stone farmyard buildings. The rhombus-shaped battens
forming the cladding on the supermarket are vertical on
many walls. Only on the link to the store and the house
are they horizontal. In addition, the timber battens were
treated with a special building biology-compliant softwood lye so that they achieve an even grey colour as
quickly as possible. The roof, conceived as a timber joist
structure, includes factory-produced spaces that are
finished with veneer plywood boards on the underside
and wood cement particleboard on top. As with the
load-bearing external walls, these spaces were also filled
with blown cellulose insulation. On top of that there
is a 12 centimetre air space closed off with tongue and
groove boards, then PVC-free waterproofing on which
the green roof is laid with a 40 centimetre deep substrate.
In order to guarantee that the cavity beneath the green
roof really works as a ventilation void, fresh air from the
supermarkets ventilation system is drawn into the air
space within the roof. A bypass arrangement prevents
condensation in the air space due to high humidity in the
summer. Sensors at exposed positions measure humidity
and temperature constantly and therefore prevent
dampness in the roof.
Thermoactive floor slab uses waste heat
The energy supply concept involves several stages. For
example, the supermarket has underfloor heating based
on a thermoactive floor slab concept. The heating pipes
were cast directly into the ground floor slab. The concrete
slab is fed with waste heat from the refrigeration
system for the foodstuffs, i.e. directly from the freezers.
A heat exchanger extracts the heat from the condenser
and feeds this to an interim storage unit. This reaches
a temperature adequate for heating the supermarket,
as a room temperature of only 19C is sufficient all year
round and the energy distribution over the total floor
area requires only a low flow temperature of just over
30C. Radiators are only installed in the offices and
changing rooms to cope with the lowest temperatures in
winter. There is also a hot-air curtain at the entrance
which is fed from the houses central heating system.

While constructing the supermarket, the client
collective took the opportunity to renew the heating

4 X 0,1750 m
3 X 0,2750 m

13 X 0,1754 m
12 X 0,2600 m
18 X 0,1728 m
17 X 0,2600 m

22 X 0,1732 m
21 X 0,2800 m

57

A+B The long, rectangular alignment and the plan

form of the supermarket (ground floor shown here)
draw their inspiration from Luxembourg longhouse
tradition.
C Natural materials and healthy foodstuffsorganic
agriculture and ecological timber construction fused
together in Luxembourg longhouse architecture.

Organic supermarket, Windhof

Screen at top of wall: 6090mm battens

projecting above parapet

Air inlet

58

 0mm vertical timber sheathing

6
(6060mm, 6090mm)
40mm horizontal battens
(4060mm)
60mm wood fibre insulating
board, treated with paraffin wax
200mm timber studs with boric
acid-free cellulose insulation in
between
30mm GFM diagonal sheathing

R
 oof garden:
grass, shrubs, even bushes and small
trees if substrate is deeper
200mm soil, Dachgarten
3540cm vegetation substrate
polypropylene fleece filter membrane
60mm drainage elements
protective separating membrane
root-resistant waterproofing
22mm tongue and groove boards
120mm ventilation void
22mm wood/magnesite cement
particleboard
360mm joists with boric acid-free
cellulose insulation in between
22mm multi-ply CLT

system in the existing building as well. A solar thermal

system was installed on the roof of the store, the heat
gains of which can be backed up with a pellet-fired

boiler as required. The old gas-fired boiler is now used

as a backup system or for coping with peak loads. mwl

59

Architecture hainarchitektur, 6632 Wasserbillig, Luxembourg,

www.hainarchitektur.lu
Client Demeter Hof Guy and Sylvie Meyers-Weis, Windhof, Luxembourg,
www.naturata.lu
Timber contractor Holzbau Henz GmbH, 54311 Trierweiler, Germany,
www.holzbauhenz.de
Floor area 557m
The ventilation for the green roof is integrated
into the central ventilation system. Fresh air from
outside is first used to ventilate the roof structure
before it is fed into the supermarket.
A

Initially, the solid timber panels were only

intended as a building biology-compliant bracing
alternative for the timber-frame walls. Only later did
the idea of leaving these exposed come about.

of which sales area 377m

Heating requirement 64kWh/ma (=thermal performance rating C)
Primary energy requirement 28kWh/ma (=total energy efficiency
rating A) (Note: waste heat from cooling must not be included)
Airtightness 1.18 1/h
Costs 1 million
Quantity of timber used 248m

The diagonal arrangement of the solid timber

panels not only improves their structural function,
but also creates a pleasant interior.
C

Carbon (C) content 62t

Sequestered CO 227t

Healthy living and working A mixed commercial/

residential building that is
made of prefabricated
solid timber elements and
takes into account building biology aspects has
been built in South Tyrol.
The certified energy-plus
building has a zero-emissions energy supply and
uses no sheeting, foil,
or automatic ventilation.

61

Timber contractor Casa Salute S.r.l. has relocated its

main office in South Tyrol from Bozen to the Schwemm
Business Park in Margreid. For the client it was important
that the two-storey timber building, which also serves
as a home, be built using ecological and climate-neutral
materials and systems. The design had to take account
of the narrow, elongated shape of the plot. Therefore, the
architect, Marco Sette, designed a south-facing timber
building with a quadruple-glazed curving panorama front
facade to link the broad lowland valley with the interior
and achieve maximum solar gains. The plan form of this
two-storey mixed commercial/residential building
resembles a right-angled triangle with an outward-curving
hypotenuse. The curved glazed facade supplies the
ground-floor office and showroom area with ample daylight until late in the day in the summer and also achieves
significant solar gains in the winter.

Although there are fewer windows in the living
quarters upstairs, the area of glass is still generous and
provides views over the surrounding fields and vineyards. On this level there is also a spacious terrace that
extends from the main building across to the flat roof
of the guest chalet. This chalet has been included to
give customers the opportunity to experience personally
the healthy interior climate of a solid timber building.
An elliptical staircase with a polygonal wall made

The curving section of the building is a response

to the particular site and allows the generously sized
window areas to provide ample daylight and good
solar gains.

of separate, gently curved solid timber elements forms

the heart of the two-storey timber building. Framed
by load-bearing timber columns, it connects the two floors.
Marco Sette took this as his starting point for the entire
interior layout.

Building based on solid timber elements
The Rombach-Nur-Holz system has been used for the
building. This system is based on fully prefabricated
solid wall, floor, and roof elements that can be quickly assembled with the help of a crane to provide a structural
carcass. The system elements consist of layers of softwood planks (fir and spruce) in various thicknesses with
a cross-banded lay-up and joined with hardwood screws
to form compact, solid timber components. For structural
reasons, the timber engineers have included an additional complete layer of timber sections 6 to 8 centimetres
deep plus a layer of planks attached at an angle of
45 degrees to guarantee the strength permanently. The
use of hardwood screws made from beech renders
adhesives, metal fasteners, and metal dowels superfluous
and maintains the single-material just wood concept
of the whole system.

Assembling the solid timber elements involves first
pressing internal threads into the layers of planks
into which the beech screws are fitted. As the hardwood

Casa Salute, Margreid

62

screws have a moisture content of 6 to 8 per cent and

the softwood wall elements a residual moisture content
of 12 to 13 per cent, the compensatory moisture movements within the wood can be exploited as an additional
stabilising factor: the drier beech screws tighten in
the direction of the moister planks. The result is a stable
structural connection within the solid timber element
preventing settlement of the building or shrinkage cracks
in the wood. In addition, the wood that is compressed
by pressing the threads tries to regain its original form,
which again improves the strength of the entire system.
This good stability in conjunction with the low flexibility
guaranteed by the solid wood screws also provides
maximum safety in earthquake regions. The wave-type
forces of earth tremors can be absorbed to a large
extent within the wall itself before the junctions with other
components are affected, which is where most damage
occurs. Furthermore, the wooden screws provide greater
protection than metal fasteners because they do not
pull out as quickly. At junctions with other parts of the
structure, tongue and groove joints planed in the
facing layers prevent draughts.

Zero-emissions energy supply
The original idea was to install a tiled stove in the middle
of the building to cover the base load for both floors.
However, as emissions had to be avoided completely, this
idea was abandoned, which also made the building of
a chimney unnecessary. Instead, an efficient coil heating
system with small polypropylene tubes (capillaries)
was installed in the loam plaster to the suspended ceiling.
The system works as a radiant heating system based
on healthy, long-wave radiant heat and requires only
50 litres of water for 350m of floor area. The tiled
stove was also fitted with capillary tubes. Compared with
conventional coil heating systems, which use just
a few pipes, this system consists of a large number of
small, closely spaced, water-filled capillaries with
outside diameters of 3.4 or 4.3 millimetres, which constitute a much larger surface area. Such a system can
cover virtually the entire area of the surfaces used. As
a result, low flow temperatures of 25 to 27C are sufficient to create a comfortable room temperaturewith
significant energy-savings. Furthermore, such a system
can be used for cooling in summer, too, because water
with a flow temperature of about 16C can then be
Upside-down floor element
pumped through the capillaries. Two separate hydraulic
The solid timber building was conceived as diffusionwater circuits are used for this, separated by a stainpermeable to achieve an optimum interior climate in which less steel heat exchanger. Another advantage is the fact
a relative humidity between 30 and 55 per cent prevails that the prefabricated capillary tube mats are very thin,
the healthy range considered pleasant by building
so they can be laid directly below the floor covering and
occupants. The external walls to Casa Salute have been above the screed, for instance. The energy can theredeliberately kept simple. They consist of a 26 centimetre fore be supplied to the room faster and more efficiently
thick solid timber element with 16 centimetre thick
than is the case with conventional coil heating systems,
insulation made of ecological wood fibre insulating
which respond comparatively sluggishly and require
boards which help the wall to reach a theoretical U-value a long warm-up time.
of 0.13W/mK. Heavy-duty anchors connect the solid
timber elements to the concrete ground floor slab. The
Hybrid collectors and heat pumps
elements were levelled with the help of an 810cm
The capillary tube system is fed from two sources. Hybrid
larch sole plate. On the outside the external walls are clad collectors are installed on the flat roof. These hybrid
in weather-resistant larch or finished with a natural
collectors contain separate solar energy systemsphotolime render. One clever timber architecture idea saved
voltaic (electricity) and solar thermal (hot water)in
the client the cost of the subfloor materials and floor
one panel. The electricity they produce (installed output=
covering for the upper floor: a solid timber suspended floor 5 watts, area=33.70m) is used in the building itself.
25 centimetres deep was installed upside-down with
The hybrid collector is cooled by a heat transfer medium,
the facing (soffit) layer on top. Downstairs, a suspended which helps to keep the photovoltaic module within
ceiling was installed, which provided space for services
a range conducive to efficient electricity generation for
and a thermoacoustic natural insulation material. In
longerresulting in yields up to 20 per cent higher. The
addition, this solid floor construction with its high timber optimum solar cell temperature for maximum efficiency
content has a high specific heat capacity. The flat roof
is about 25C. The energy yield drops by about 0.33
is made from 25 centimetre deep solid timber elements to 0.5 per cent per degree Celsius rise in temperature,
insulated with 20 centimetre wood fibre insulating boards which leads to losses during the summer months, when
which help the roof to achieve a theoretical U-value
yields should reach their maximum. At the same time, the
of 0.12W/mK.
heat extracted from the cooling system is used to heat
hot water or as a backup for the space heating. When
insufficient heat is available, an air/water-water/water

A The suspended floor to this building is also in

solid timber, which was quickly erected with the help
of a crane.
B A large number of small-diameter tubes distribute
the energy over the entire area of the solid timber
floor soffit, which is finished with loam plaster.
C Long screws join the prefabricated solid wall
elements at the corners.
D Longitudinal

section of the two-storey, energy-plus,

solid timber building

air as the heat transfer medium. Two 500 litre interim

storage units integrated into the system ensure that the
hybrid heat pumps only work during the day with solarpowered electricity, because they provide enough energy
for heating and hot water during the night. The excess
is fed into the public grid. mwl

Casa Salute, Margreid

hybrid heat pumppowered directly by the photovoltaic

panelsis activated. The source energy for the waterwater module is the heated coolant water from the
hybrid collectors, provided this has a suitable temperature.
Afterwards, the hybrid heat pump switches over automatically to the air-water module and uses the outside

64

Client Casa Salute S.r.l., 39042 Margreid, Italy, www.casa-salute.it

Architecture Studio M7architect Marco Sette, 39100 Bozen, Italy,
www.m-7.it
Timber elements Rombach Bauholz und Abbund GmbH,
77784 Oberharmersbach, Germany, www.nur-holz.com
Insulation, render&plaster Paul Pitschl company, 39040 Aldein, Italy,
www.zimmerei-pitschl.it
Structural engineering Ing.Attilio Marchetti Rossi, 61121 Pesaro, Italy,
www.marchettirossi.com
Glass facades Wolf Artec, 39040 Natz-Schabs, Italy, www.wolf-fenster.it
Building inspection&approval Ing.Erich Habicher, 39059 Oberbozen/
Ritten, Italy
Building services consultants Energytech/Ing.Norbert Klammsteiner,
39100 Bozen, Italy, www.energytech.it
Geomantic report Georg Ungerer, 39040 Kurtatsch, Italy,
www.georgungerer.it
Light switch system with piezoelectricity Opus company,
64385 Reichelsheim, Germany, www.opusgreen.net
Heating system Clina GmbH, 13435 Berlin, Germany, www.clina.de

Net floor area 350.00m

Transmission heat losses during heating period QT 9597kWh/a
Ventilation heat losses during heating period QV 1578kWh/a

Meetings and training sessions are also held in the

office area on the ground floor.

Internal heat gains during heating period Qi 3936kWh/a

Plan of ground floor of mixed commercial/residential

building with the showhouse in the centre

Certificate Klimahaus Gold-Nature

In terms of form and design, the solid timber

building fits in with the natural line of the valley and
is positioned on the narrow plot to make the best
use of solar energy.

Quantity of timber used 180m

Passive solar heat gains during heating period Qs 6496kWh/a

Costs 900000

Carbon (C) content 45t

Sequestered CO 165t

Ground floor

65

p.68

p.74

p.80

p.86

p.92

Sports and
leisure facilities
Sports hall
Indoor rollerblade
arena
Acquaworld
Les Thermes
Multifunction
stadium

Simple, but effective

Since being completed

in August 2012, the large
sports hall serving two
schools has been a real eyecatcher in Sargans. Right
from the start, reducing the
building to the essentials
was a priority for ecological
reasons. The special
aesthetics, achieved with
the very latest timber
construction technology,
is based on simple, but
effective design devices
and can be attributed to
the early, close cooperation
between the architects
and the structural engineers.

The new sports hall in Sargans in St Gallen canton

nestles between the high peaks of the Pizol, Falknis, and
Gonzen mountains. An almost 30-year-old sports hall
stood on this site before the new facility was built. Over
the years it had suffered to such an extent that the
cost of refurbishing it to a modern standard plus extending
it to cope with increased demanda solution that would
not have been satisfactory in either constructional
or operational termswas only slightly less than that of
building a new sports hall. So the client, St Gallen Building Authority, opted for demolition and a new building,
and organised an anonymous, single-stage architectural
competition in 2008.

Tight constraints for a great idea

The building authority placed the focus of the project
on sustainability and regional value-creation. They called
for the Swiss Minergie standard, keeping to a fixed budget
of 20 million Swiss francs (about 16.4 million euros at the
time) plus low upkeep and disposal costs. In addition,
the construction period should be kept as short as possible so that sports activities would not be interrupted
for too long. Another requirement was to use the existing
pile foundations of the previous building for the new
structure because the subsoil in this area, once a marsh
of the Rhine, is very poor. With all these restrictions
and stipulations, the architects competition entry already

69

The design for the new sports hall had to guarantee

sustainable architecture on the one hand, provide
inspiration on the other. These two factors should
guarantee long-term acceptance among local residents.

A 3D computer graphic of loadbearing structure;

left: changing rooms, sanitary facilities, and
equipment storage; centre: playing area; right:
equipment storage.

The slender frame members ensure that users

have an almost uninterrupted view of the outside world
and also allow plenty of daylight into the building.

C The close spacing of the frames gives the interior

its character; the load-bearing structure functions
as a design element.

With frame members only 14 centimetres wide,

temporary scaffolding was required when assembling
the members prior to erection. After that they could
be lifted into position with a crane.

E Frame beams with their pre-installed GSA

connectors after delivery to the building site
H

The GSA fasteners are fitted in the frame corners

and are hardly noticeable after erection.

Double-T elements with closed soffits were fitted

between the frame beams to form a roof plate.

H The 7 metre high glass facade on the north-east

side has no diagonal bracing and so ensures good,
even daylighting inside the building.
I

Plan of ground floor

Section

71

I
!

Ground floor
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0123#45666758
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Sports hall, Sargans

72

conceived the sports hall as a lightweight timber structure

which turned out to be the criterion that made their
design the winner.

The design idea and aim of the planning team was
to create a sensuous, expressive, premium structural
carcass with a load-bearing structure of high-quality
timber used sensibly and without depleting resources.
To optimise costs and the use of resources, the architects therefore checked whether operations or materials
could be saved or components omitted at every stage
of the project. This careful, consequential architecture
is now the trademark of the roughly 66 metre long,
56 metre wide structure.

In terms of urban planning, the new sports hall fits
in with the neighbouring school, already refurbished
and extended, and its position within the campus. One
way in which the new 10 metre high sports hall manages
the transition between the large volume of the building
and the smaller buildings of the surroundings is that
there is a lower, single-storey wing along the north-east,
longitudinal side of the hall. Equipment is stored in this
wing. Inside the sports hall itself, double-layer synthetic
leather curtains can be lowered to divide the interior
into two, three or four smaller areas as required. In the
two-storey section, which is on the other, south-west,
side of the building there are fitness and gymnastics
rooms on the upper floor, a kitchen, plant room and
storerooms for outdoor equipment on the ground floor,
and cloakrooms and sanitary facilities on both floors. The
internal layout is therefore simple and pragmatic, with
ceiling heights chosen to suit the usage requirements.

structure of slender cross-sections continues through

all parts of the building and hence leads to convincing
logic and exceptional aesthetics. This social sustainability
was just as important to the architects as the ecological
aspects. For even if the 2500m of untreated timber
used here correspond to an amount of timber that,
according to the designers, regrows in Swiss forests in
3.21 hours, for them the aesthetics are the key to the
long-term acceptance of a structure in society and formed
their leitmotif for this project.

The frames
These aesthetics, however, were only made possible
through the skilful use of a new type of connector and
a good idea from the structural engineers, who had
been involved from an early stage. Although they are
28.80 metres long, the frame beams (GL28h) are only
14 centimetres wide despite being 140 centimetres
deep, and the almost 10 metre high legs to the frame
(GL36), at 1480cm, are also very slender. In order to
keep the legs this slender, the engineers had to employ
a technical trick to relieve the load on them. For this
purpose, the legs were given an inward slope during prefabrication so that the base of each one had to be
pulled a few centimetres into the vertical position during
erection in order to fix them to their steel bases. This
enforced deformation generates a kind of prestressing
moment at the corners of the frame which cancels out
the moment due to the vertical loads on the beam to
a certain extent and hence relieves each leg.

The structural engineers used a new type of connectionGSA technologyso that all the loads could be

Sensuous presence thanks to new methods
accommodated without damage at the frame corners.
Forty slender glued laminated timber frames made of
(GSA is the German abbreviation for thread-bar-anchor.)
indigenous spruce in various strength grades constitute
According to the developers, this is a structural, interthe primary structure to the almost 30 metre wide sports locking fastening system characterised by high loadhall. As the forces acting on the structure are not
carrying capacity, good stiffness and ductile behaviour.
the same at all points and, consequently, the same glulam Every beam/leg connection uses two special steel
strengths are not required everywhere, the grades
straps and bolts at the inside and outside of the corner,
could be adapted to save costs. Closely spaced at
plus a threaded bar that joins the upper and lower steel
1.65 metres, these frames look like a delicate wall, or
straps together. The threaded bar therefore carries the
ceiling, of timber slats.
transverse tension and stops the wood from splitting.

In the sports hall the architects positioned the
The roof elements (with acoustic panels on the underside)
suspended overhead light fittings between the frames.
make use of double-T panels. These were fitted
When in use in the evenings, the lights contrast nicely
between the beams to form a roof plate.
with the black soffit elements, which are also designed
In the two-storey part of the building, the suspended
to improve the room acoustics. Together with the
floor is in the form of a timber-concrete composite conbeams, they create a visually appealing play of light and struction with downstand beams made from a combicolour that is reflected in the continuous, 7 metre high
nation of spruce/ash glued laminated timber and precast
glass front to the sports hall. It needed engineering tricks concrete beams. As the largest span here is almost
to keep the glazing free from bracing so daylight can
11 metres and has to carry precast concrete shower units
enter through the windows and spread out evenly over
weighing 15 tonnes, the bonded anchors familiar in
the entire playing area. The closely spaced load-bearing bridge-building were used.

The use of glued laminated timber beams made of

ash (GL40) with flexural and shear strengths at least
50 per cent higher than normal enabled the beam crosssections to be reduced by about 60 per cent. Minimising
the depth of the beam had a positive effect on the
entire volume of the building, on the area of the facade,
and hence on costs and consumption of resources.

The building envelope is formed by timber-frame
elements with 20 centimetre thick mineral fibre insulation
and vertical cladding, likewise made of untreated,
indigenous spruce to match the load-bearing structure.
Around the windows, the cladding opens out like louvres,
becomes semi-transparent, allows activities inside the
building to be seen, and thus contributes to the delicate
overall impression.

responsible for the transverse stability of the building.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels have been used in
the roofs as a secondary structure and also as resilient
shear fields. They brace the building in the longitudinal
direction and transfer the horizontal loads due to wind
and earthquake into the wall plates.

The two-storey wing ensures that the centre of
gravity of the building as a whole lies outside the sports
hall. That is why no bracing is required in the 7 metre
high glass facade.

Patina contributes to the poetry of this building
In the end, details that are totally matter of course and
simple add up to a major investment in ideas and
innovations. On the whole, the architecture is rigorous
and refreshinginside and outside. Only the facade

Seismic loadsalways an issue in Switzerland
might disturb the appearance over the course of time; the
An earthquake analysis is always necessary in Switzerland. cladding turning grey and undergoing other weatherIn order to minimise the loads on the reused timber
related changes cannot be avoided and will lead to
piles of the previous structure, the designers conceived inconsistencies. However, the architects are aware of this.
timber bracing to resist wind and seismic loads. The
They are therefore continuing the Alpine tradition of
latter are resisted by a few OSB-clad timber-frame walls accepting the natural changes to wood used outdoors and
in the longitudinal walls of the sports hall, which are
regard the changing patina as part of the poetry of
designed as shear fields. The frames themselves are
this building. sjf

73

Project Sports hall/Regional sports facility in Sargans (St Gallen canton)

Form of construction Engineered timber construction
Completed 2012
Construction period April 2011 to May 2012
Costs/Budget SFr20.09 million
Floor area 4859.50m
Main usable area 2907m
Ancillary usable area 753.50m
Enclosed volume 32534m
Client St Gallen Building Authority, 9000 St Gallen, Switzerland,
www.hochbau.sg.ch
Architecture blue architects&Ruprecht Architekten, 8037 Zurich,
Switzerland, www.bluearchitects.com and www.ruprecht-architekten.ch
Site management Ghisleni Planen Bauen, 8640 Rapperswil, Switzerland,
www.ghisleni.ch
Structural engineering, concrete&timber Walt+Galmarini AG,
8008 Zurich, Switzerland, www.waltgalmarini.com
Timber contractor Blumer-Lehmann AG, 9200 Gossau, Switzerland,
www.blumer-lehmann.ch
Frame&timber-concrete composite beams neue Holzbau AG,
6078 Lungern, Switzerland, www.neueholzbau.ch
Facade&fitting-out consultants Pirmin JungIngenieure fr Holzbau
AG, 6026 Rain, Switzerland, www.pirminjung.ch
Quantity of timber used approx.1250m
In the end, things that are totally matter of course
and simple add up to a major investment in ideas
and innovations.

Carbon (C) content approx.313t

Sequestered CO approx.1146t

Good times for fast skaters The first indoor rollerblade

arena in Germany is colourful and spacious. Just four
internal columns support
the timber roof structure.
A pair of 125 metre long
hinged girders and forty-four
secondary beams carry
the roof over the oval track.

75

The town of Geisingen in southern Baden-Wrttemberg

has had a new landmark since April 2010: Geisingen
Arena. It is Germanys first covered facility for rollerblading and offers ideal conditions for leisure, competitions, and training. This project was made possible
through the courage of two private investors, a married
couple who had long toyed with the idea of adding
a worthwhile new attraction to their hometown. Actually,
the idea came about quite by chance, as a friend of the
couple discovered rollerblading and, full of excitement,
told them about it. They were infected by his enthusiasm
but quickly discovered that there was no suitable track
for this sport in the whole of Baden-Wrttemberg. And
thats how this project costing millions came about.

the many perimeter columns to be supplemented by as

few internal columns as possible. Using a skilfully selected
load-bearing system, the structural engineers were able
to reduce the number of internal columns to just four,
which are positioned near the corners of the infield.

The roof structure essentially consists of two glulam
main beams laid up in parallel blocks (bh=42242cm,
GL28c) 26 metres apart; they rest on fork supports
on fixed-based internal and perimeter columns, and span
the elliptical plan shape in the longitudinal direction as
a three-span beam. Arch-type transverse beams (bh=
16213cm, GL28c) run perpendicular to the main beams.

The main beams had to be divided into three
parts to suit production and transport restrictions, which
immediately suggested designing them as continuous
They needed a roof
hinged girders with zero-moment splices. The locations
It very quickly became apparent that an indoor track
of the points of zero moment in the middle bay, and
would be necessary. On the one hand, the investors wanted hence the hinges, therefore determined the lengths of the
to establish a sports facility that would be unaffected
main beam segments, which do not match the spans.
by the weather and, on the other, comfortable seating for Taking into account the spans of 304537.50 metres
spectators was also needed, as world championships
resulted in the longest segment being 48 metres long.
were planned. Therefore, the arena had to be built accor-
The main beams were built with a camber to prevent
ding to international standards and rules.
them sagging in the finished structure; their self-weight

The roughly 7500m skating facility, not unlike an
pulls them horizontal after erection. The situation is
amphitheatre, had to blend in with the landscape of the different for the forty-four arching transverse beams
Danube Valley.
between 14 and 25.50 metres long: placed at a spacing of
7.50 metres, they ensure that the roof has a shallow
Ingenious structural system for the roof
curve similar to that of a barrel vault roof.
A structure of glued laminated timber beams now covers

For architectural reasons, the transverse beams are
the approximately 125 metre long68 metre wide arena almost as deep as the longitudinal, i.e. main, beams
like a grillage on columns. To make sure that all 3000 spec- and their soffits are flush with those of the main beams.
tators would enjoy good sightlines, the investors wanted
The difference in height is merely equal to the thickness

The futuristic-looking rollerblading arena in Geisingen

provides ideal conditions for professionals, amateurs,
and holidaymakers. The illuminated coloured ring
floating in the landscape is visible from afar.

Indoor rollerblade arena, Geisingen

76

A Isometric view of building showing oval ring of

rooflights and all the individual roof elements
B The

oval structure is intended to resemble an amphitheatre and is roofed over by a grillage-type roof
made from glulam beams supported on perimeter
columns and just four internal columns.

C Half-section through roof structure; the transverse

arch beams connect to the main beams.

Prefabricated combined elements with integral

glulam purlins. In the curved rooflight sections, the
load-bearing ribs of the roof elements extend beyond
the elements and are visible. In the finished building
they look like separate purlins.

of the box elements forming the roof decking so that

these in turn finish flush with the top surfaces of the
main beams.
The challenge: designing the roof elements
The short construction period from mid-November to
late January called for a roof prefabricated to the tune of
90 per cent. The oval plan form and the barrel vaulttype section proved to be just as much a challenge for the
structural engineers when planning and fabricating the
roof elements as it was for the 3D designers: not only
does the roof surface curve continuously over the width
of the building, but the perimeter windows with the
purlins, some of which continue into the closed roof elements as load-bearing ribs, had to be incorporated in
the design and factory-prefabricated. There are therefore
146 different element types for a total of 240 roof
elements, making nearly every element a one-off. The
exact geometries were determined from the 3D CAD
model and so could be prepared for CNC production. That
work required real diligence, but was essential because
everything had to fit together on site; there was no
second chance to improve something. With the help of
layout and structural location drawings, it was possible
to install the right elements in the right places.

77

Roof decking functions as stiffening diaphragm

The almost 30 centimetre thick roof elements with full
insulation, roof finishes, and acoustic soffit were laid on
top of the timber structure. Owing to the enhanced
noise control requirements inside the arena, the timber
contractor devised a special soffit and had the acoustic
panels tested.

The OSB panels on the top either overlap or are cut
back along the edges so that they create rebated joints
once erected, which allows the elements to be nailed
together to create a shear-resistant connection and together function as a stiffening diaphragm for the whole
building. As the uninterrupted rooflight prevents a continuous plate action, steel X-bracing replaces the missing
roof elements.

The offset arrangement of the elements is also
important for ensuring the plate action in the longitudinal
and transverse directions. The designers chose the
dimensions and positions of the roof elements in such
a way that together they create the best possible plate
effectat the same time taking into account the permissible transport weights. This led to the development
of the layout drawing becoming a real puzzle.

The roof is primarily responsible for the overall stability
of the building. However, the perimeter and internal
columns also play important roles. Most have a fixed base,
but the fixity is achieved in a way that has been used

only rarely up to now. The columns are in the form of

steel tubular piles driven up to 10 metres into the ground
to ensure the necessary load-bearing capacity. After
cutting them off at the height required for the columns,
they were filled with concrete. The combination of
roof plate, columns, and rigid connections guarantees
the necessary overall stability for the building.

Perimeter beams as roof supports
Glued laminated timber beams span between each pair
of perimeter columns to provide support for the roof
elements. An OSB fascia finishes off the roof cantilevering
beyond the perimeter beams. The OSB panels along
the eaves on the longitudinal sides are rectangular and
screwed to the edges of the roof elements. Cutting the
OSB panels to size at the transition to and on the curved
eaves to the narrow ends of the building proved to
be a complex geometrical process; the eaves not only rise
here, but every position has a different angle. However,
the use of 3D CAD methods enabled these panel
geometries to be determined and fabricated as well.
Drainage
Pipes with trace heating are integrated into the roof
elements to drain the roof surface. Around the outer edge
of the roof they drain the water from the outlets along
the parapet to the downpipes. From the oval roof plate,
rainwater drains along the rooflight upstand to the four
internal columns. Removable hatches allow the siphonic
system to be inspected at all times.

Summing up...
The structural system consists of a total of about
600m of glued laminated timber in the two 125 metre
long main beams, forty-four arch beams, sixteen curved
perimeter beams and 250 purlins in the raised, translucent rooflight area. The architects wanted to let as
much daylight into the arena as possible. That has been
achieved by installing 2000m of transparent Prokulit
sheets and rooflights.

The timber contractor produced the entire roof
structure in about fourteen days and then erected everything on site. As the work was carried out during the
winter, the roof surface had to be set up and weatherproofed quicklywhich was easy to achieve with the
prefabricated roof elements.

The roof was delivered to site in fourty-two truckloads;
three of those were abnormal loads with a maximum
length of 52.5 metres and total weight of 74 tonnes. The
crews had driven about 450 kilometres with their oversized, heavy vehicles. Two cranes lifted the beams exactly
into position on their supports, where they were aligned
and fixed by the erection team.

region, and the whole rollerblading scene. The

prominent persons from politics and industry among
the guests said it was like winning the jackpot in the
national lottery! sjf

Indoor rollerblade arena, Geisingen

A stroke of luck for everyone
During the opening ceremony, all the visitors agreed
that Geisingen Arena, built as the result of a private
initiative, is a stroke of luck for the town, the entire

78
A

Project Geisingen Arena

Client Uhrig Straen- und Tiefbau GmbH, 78187 Geisingen, Germany,
www.uhrig-bau.eu
Design Schoyerer Architekten BDA, 55120 Mainz, Germany,
www.schoyerer.de
Architecture CENTRAPLANArchitekten-Planungsgesellschaft mbH,
79199 Kirchzarten, Germany, www.centraplan-architekten.de
Structural engineering&CAD fabrication drawings Wiehag GmbH in
cooperation with kw-holz Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, 63619 Bad Orb,
Germany, www.kw-holz.de
Timber contractor Wiehag GmbH, 4950 Altheim, Austria, www.wiehag.com
Quantity of timber used 600m
Carbon (C) content 150t
Sequestered CO 550t

79

A The first segment of a main beam during erection.

It extends 6.50 metres beyond the internal column into
the centre span, where the middle beam segment is
connected via a hinged joint. The fork supports welded
to the tops of the fixed-base columns provide lateral
restraint for the beams.
B Lifting a roof element into position and subsequently
fixing it via rebated joints to form the roof plate.
C Erecting

roof elements around the edge of the building

D The roof elements are supported on the transverse

beams and their top surfaces finish flush with the tops
of the main beams.
E Span of main beam between columns: 26 metres.
The transverse arch beams turn the roof into a shallow
barrel vault.

The new skating facility forms part of the leisure

amenities situated on the edge of Geisingen.

F >>

81

Wellness under drops

of water

AcquaWorld water park in

Concorezzo near Milan is
housed under an enormous
timber roof structure
shaped like drops of water.
Glued laminated timber
beams represented the most
cost-effective way of
forming the irregular structureand timber is the
best choice for leisure pools
anyway owing to its chlorine
resistance.

Concorezzo in the heart of the Italian province of Monza

and Brianza in Italys Lombardy region now has a wellness
temple: AcquaWorld. This leisure complex was opened in
October 2011. Its main visual attraction is without doubt
the dome-type roofs. They symbolise drops of water and
are totally irregular in form. A roof covering in the shape
of air-filled cushions on one longitudinal side ensures
plenty of daylight inside the building. At night, the building
shines like a Chinese lantern. The rest of the roof, about
60 per cent of the area of the domes (about 4000m)
is in the form of a green roof and, from a distance, looks
like a hill.

Besides the chlorine resistance, it was primarily the

organic form of the domes and the spans involved that
proved to be crucial: the building is about 133 metres
long in total and about 53 metres across at its widest point.
Given the boundary conditions, timber was the only way
of achieving an architecturally appealing and technically
feasible solution with as few internal columns as possible. These days, the use of CAD and CNC methods means
even hundreds of different cross-sections present no
problems in timber construction.

Primary structure: asymmetric tripod with

intermediate column
Domes shaped like drops of water
The AcquaWorld building has a reinforced concrete baseThe architects wanted to create a building whose
ment. On top of that there are curving reinforced concrete
appearance makes a clear statement in favour of ecology external walls forming a plan shape not unlike that of
and health. At the same time it was important to use
two kidney-shaped tables. Those walls form the supporta chlorine-resistant material for the roof structure. Timber ing structure for the entire roof, which consists of one
fulfils all these conditions. Steel, on the other hand,
large and one small dome plus a flat roof joining the two.
was ruled out from the start not only because of the corro-
The large dome is approx.84 metres long, 53 metres
sion problems, but also because it would have required
wide at its widest point and about 17 metres high. Four
far too much work to produce the many different beam glued laminated timber arches with slung steel trusses,
forms for the roof structurequite apart from the costs forming an elongated Y on plan, constitute the primary
and work that a suitable coating would have entailed.
structure. The two fish belly-style beams are located on

The roof is about 133 metres long and about 53 metres

across at its widest point. It covers the leisure and
wellness temple in the form of giant water droplets.

Acquaworld, Concorezzo

the longitudinal axis of the building and form a sort of

backbone. A rigid connection joins the beams together
above the intermediate trussed steel column.

The almost 28 metre long arch of the end span is
supported via a steel pin on the external wall. On the other
hand, the beam in the centre span meets the two
beams of the Y legs at a node. The latter spread out
towards two supports: the glulam top chords and the
steel bottom chords are supported on pinned bases on the
external wall and the ground slab respectively, with
a height difference of 5.76 and almost 4.30 metres. The
primary structure functions as an asymmetric tripod
with intermediate column, which has been given a white
finish by the architects so that the load-bearing structure is clearly visible. The entire framework of fifty-four
curved glulam ribs (secondary structure) giving the
building its form are supported on this.

82

Splayed roof structure absorbs roof loads
Self-weight, roof finishes, and external loads such as
wind and snow create large forces on the widely spaced
members of the primary structure. An imposed load of
2kN/m was assumed on the green roof area. That figure
includes seismic loads, which always have to be taken
into account in Italy.

The fish belly-type timber-and-steel beams carry
the tension and compression forces and transfer these
to separate supports at the rear or to the splayed
timber-and-steel beams forming the legs of the Y, whose
curved steel circular hollow sections must carry correspondingly high compression. However, those hollow
sections are non-rigid to such an extent that they can
absorb the forces, albeit only up to a certain buckling
length. To guarantee this, the structural engineers
have included four diagonals between the top and bottom
chords, butto stabilise the bottom chordhave also
provided diagonal steel ties back to the neighbouring ribs.

The 50 centimetre wide top chords of the steeland-timber main beams are made up of two 24 centimetre
wide sections on either side of the steel connecting plates
for the diagonals. Boards glued in place fill the ensuing two
centimetre gap along the rest of the beam. This was
the only way of fabricating the beams with their diagonal
connecting plates, which extend far into the glulam
top chord.

beams are all at different heights, with different angles

at the connections. And last but not least, every crosssection was designed differently to suit the particular
loads. For example, the ribs below the green roof
area have to carry higher loads than those below the
membrane roof.

In order that in the end the roof decking could be
laid over the entire area without twisting, the top surface
of every rib was cut to a different angle which, owing
to the free-form surface of the dome, changes continuously over the length of the ribs. In short, every rib
giving the building its shape is an elaborate one-off.

However, even the short members between the ribs,
required for lateral restraint, all have different lengths
owing to the varying angles of the ribs and can only be
attached at an angle. A special U-shaped connector
with hinges was developed so that it was possible to fasten
these members to the ribs at any angle.
Connection between primary and secondary members

was a challenge
The structural engineers also developed a type of universal
connection for the structural connection between the
ribs and the top chords of the main beams. This connection
had to be able to accommodate the high shear forces
and eccentricity moments due to the incoming ribs at
different angles and transfer these to the main beam.
At the same time it was necessary to transfer vertical
forces from the main beams to the ribs because the
primary and secondary members rely on each other for
support, i.e. form a complex spatial structure.

To achieve this, the design team took a pinned
connection and adapted this to the requirements: A steel
plate is let into the side of the top chord and tied back
to the plate on the other side of the chord with threaded
bars. Two vertical plates are welded to this. These plates
pick up the steel plate fixed to the incoming secondary
member (rib) with steel dowels and close-tolerance
bolts. A pin (d=9cm) forms the structural connection
linking all three plates.

The entire detail is concealed in a slot at the end of
the secondary member.

No intermediate columns in the small dome
The small dome was built using the same design principle.
As this dome has more of an egg-shape on plan,
Ribs form a droplet outline
a relatively regular tripod of glulam arches with slung
A total of fifty-four different glued laminated timber ribs steel trussing can carry the roof without any interwas required to create the droplet form. This is because
mediate supports.
every rib has a different radius of curvature and a depth
The main beams heresimilarly to the beams
that tapers towards the support. The free-form curving
forming the legs of the Y in the large domealso make
plan shape also means that the ribs are all at different
use of a splayed arrangement with different support
angles. At the same time, the connections to the main
levels.

Each of the ribs is unique and together they span

over the base and main structure, although at an
irregular spacing, to form the framework for the dropletshaped domes. Below the green roof, the transverse
members between the ribs are closer together.

A-->

Elevation on the two main beams with their

central support and one of the (two) beams forming
the Y arrangement with each outer support on
two different levels

C Four glulam beams with slung steel trusses form

the primary structure. The tower for the fun slides
penetrates the large dome like a tube; structural connections join the interrupted roof structure to the
tower.

The AcquaWorld roof areas with air-filled cushions

have a lightweight look. During the day the transparent membrane allows plenty of daylight into the
building.

83


Self-supporting structure
The load-bearing structures to the large and small dropletshaped domes, consisting of primary and secondary
members plus short transverse pieces and wind girders
in ten and six bays respectively, are self-supporting.
The roof decking does not contribute to stability.

However, the structural engineers have tied both
domes together via the flat roof, which is at a height of
12 metres and links the domes both architecturally and
structurally. The roof functions like a stiffening diaphragm
and enhances the overall stability. The idea was to
minimise movements within the structure and thus avoid
damage to the roof waterproofing.

Acquaworld, Concorezzo

Slide tower forms part of structure
The tower for the fun slides penetrates the large dome and
interrupts the continuity of the load-bearing structure.
That called for a couple of additional engineering tricks.
The load-bearing members terminate at this tower but
are connected to it structurally. So the dome is supported
on this tower.

More than 1600 unique pieces
The fabrication of such a complex spatial structure
obliged the timber engineers to develop an exact 3D
computer model that included all the cut-outs for the steelconnecting components and fasteners. This model
formed the basis for the CNC machining of all the timber
components. This was where the engineers specified

84

the point at which the arches would be divided, as

production, transport, and erection constraints precluded them from being made in one piece. Structural
location drawings and consecutively numbered crosssections, which in some cases were delivered to the
building site with each bay packaged together, ensured
that all 1645 unique pieces were installed in the
right positions.

Foil cushions to avoid condensation
The transparent membrane on the roof structure to the
water park consists of three-layer air-filled foil cushions
that are pressurised so they retain their form. In contrast to glass, this solution ensures good thermal insulation.
Condensation was also considered: when the inner
surfaces are warm, no condensation forms even when
the humidity is high. That improves hygiene and also
reduces evaporation.

The Dyneon ETFE fluorothermoplastic foil is very
strong, but at 100 to 200 micrometres thick it is no
thicker than a human hair. The foil lets through 97 per cent
of the UV-A radiation, which is important for plant growth,
and up to 50 per cent of the UV-B radiation. However,
the UV-C radiation so damaging to health is filtered out
completely, and thus visitors to AcquaWorld can get
a safe suntan under the transparent membrane roof. The
company that supplied and installed the foil says that
the outside needs hardly any cleaning; a good shower of
rain should be enough. sjf

11.9
16.7
12

16.8

Tubo tondo
168.3*8

Perno D50*70

b)

Tubo

14.9
12.9

28.5
6.1

40.6

12.8

a)

8*M24*65

D
2*D30 3

14*SD20*450
28*Kappe20*20

24

2*Dop.end.Sc_M20*590

2*M24*65

4.6

24

11.9

14

2*D26 2.6

10

10

10

10

10

10

4
4

16.7
2*M20*23

4*

52*Kappe20*20

12

1.2

26*SD20*450

15.2

4.6

14

37.2

85

Tubo tondo 406.4*16

20

3*D123 12.3

2*PB20*460
2*VsKo85*40 8.5/t=4

Tubo tondo
168.3*8

3*D103 10.3

2*VsMu85*40 8.5/t=4

4*Kappe85*30

6*D51 5.1

Perno D50*70
4*M20*23

27.7

Perno D120*110

Tubo tondo
168.3*8

40.6

2*Kappe85*30
VsMu85*40 8.5/t=4

14

PB20*460

16.8

16.8

Perno D100*85
VsKo85*40 8.5/t=4

50

2*M20*23

24
Tubo tondo 406.4*16

Tubo tondo 168.3*8

24

40.6

16.8

16.8

Tubo tondo 323.9*16

24

Project AcquaWorld in Concorezzo near Milan, www.acquaworld.it

15.7

10.1
12.8

14.9
12.9

28.5

40.6

6.1

8*M24*65

50

40.6

898.6

Construction period, timber structure December 2010 to July 2011

Costs (total complex) 40 million
4.7

29.8

2
2

Usable floor area 5600m (AcquaWorld), 15000m of developed area

in total, 35000m site area in total
Enclosed volume 69000m (AcquaWorld)
Client Bluwater spa, 20863 Concorezzo (MB), Italy, www.bluwaterspa.it
Planning Sering SrlIngenieurgesellschaft, 20049 Concorezzo (MB),
Italy, www.seringsrl.it

Longitudinal section
2*D30 3

Architecture&project management Sering SrlIngenieurgesellschaft,

Architectural Division, Arch. Federico Pella, 20049 Concorezzo (MB),
Italy, www.seringsrl.it
24
1

Connection details:
a) secondary member (rib) to two-part main beam
b) transverse member supporting roof decking

85*Kappe20*20

43*SD20*190

Structural engineering Armalam Srl, 38057 Pergine Valsugana (TN),

Italy, www.armalam.it
2*VsKo85*40 8.5/t=4

2*VsMu85*40 8.5/t=4

1.5

1.5

C >> Connection between steel and timber elements

of fish belly-type main beam. The connecting plates
for the slung steel trussing are fitted between the
24 centimetre thick glulam sections.

1.5

Perno D100/230mm

Timber structural details&CAD fabrication drawings Rubner Holzbau AG,

39042 Brixen, Italy, www.holzbau.com
8*Dop.end.Sc_M20*590

2*M24*65

2.5

10*D103 10.3

2*Dop.end.Sc_M20*590

1.5

4*M24*30

24

Roof covering Vector Foiltec GmbH, London, UK, www.vector-foiltec.com

2*D26 2.6

Quantity of timber used 1090m

Wind girders were installed in sixteen bays. The

steel X-bracing is connected to the same plates as the
transverse members.

24

14*SD20*450
28*Kappe20*20

4*Kappe85*30

2*PB20*200

15.2

Carbon (C) content 272.5t

2*D110 11

1.2

4*PB20*560

Sequestered CO approx.1000t

2*M20*23

Perno D100/230mm
2*VsKo85*40 8.5/t=4

Perno D100*85
PB20*460

2*Kappe85*30
VsMu85*40 8.5/t=4

Tubo tondo 406.4*16

52*SD20*190

40.6

14

VsKo85*40 8.5/t=4

2*PB20*200

4*Kappe85*30
2*VsMu85*40 8.5/t=4
104*Kappe20*20

50

48

50

24

Completed 2011
1.8

10.1

4.7

Form of construction Glulam roof structure on concrete substructure

32.4

2
32.4

1.8

14.7

87

Leisure pool with

sophisticated aesthetics

The building for

Les Thermes leisure and
swimming centre near
the city of Luxembourg looks
like its been cut out of a
precious stone. The interior
layout is determined by
an amazingly lightweight
timber roof structure. And
wood was chosen not only
because it is the best
material for a chlorine-laden
atmosphere.

Les Thermes leisure and swimming centre is a surprising and unusual addition to Strassen-Bertrange, a
suburb of Luxembourg. At first sight it looks like a flying
sauceror at any rate it does when one views the aluminium shingles covering the building on its closed side.
The striking shape seems futuristic and piques our
curiosity.

An architectural competition in 2004 provided the
starting point for the design of this intercommunal
swimming centre. However, the winning architects idea
had absolutely nothing to do with a UFO; instead, they
saw it as a precious stone that had been cut open, with
one side closed and unspectacular, the other side revealing the full glory of the inside. Accordingly, this notched
elliptical building is closed on the entrance side, but on
the other side exhibits maximum transparency, allowing
generous views into the building.

a site between an industrial estate and an area earmarked

for future residential development. The entrance in the
middle of the closed facade faces the main road, whereas
the large expanse of glass on the other side faces the
planned housing. The architects used the spoil from the
excavations to form embankments on this side, which
provide some privacy for centre visitors.

The buildings north-south orientation results in
optimum sunshine for the leisure pools inside and outside,
while the compact shell design faces the industrial estate
and shields the centre against noise.

Timber has all the advantages

As a chlorine-laden atmosphere is normal in swimming
pools, the only material suitable for the roof structure
of Les Thermes was one that does not suffer in such
conditions. So steel, for instance, was ruled out from the
start because of the corrosion problems. With major
Exploiting the sun and screening from noise as
and minor axes of 112.5 and 62.50 metres respectively, the

criteria for the buildings orientation
long spans of this elliptical structure were also critical
The swimming centres potential catchment area has
when choosing the material. Under these boundary cona population of one millionnot only in Luxembourg, but ditions, timber was the only material that could achieve
Germany, France and Belgium as well. It contains three
an architecturally appealing and at the same time lowthemed zonessport, play, and relaxationand occupies cost solution with as few columns as possible.

At dusk, the transparent, open side, which is glazed

over its full height, enables the colourful interior of the
notched stone to be seen.

Les Thermes, Strassen

88

Timber design dictates half-shell external form

Reinforced concrete has been used for the substructure
to this building (three storeys in places). A grid-like roof
structure made of glued laminated timber spans the
interior facilities. Along the edge of the roof above the
closed facade, the roof structure is extended down the side
of the building by half-frames that give the building
its shape. Rounded, finger-jointed glulam gussets form
the rigid corners at the junction between roof and
facade. Concrete fins projecting from the basement provide
the supports for the timber half-frames. At a spacing
of 5 metres (matching the building grid), the half-frames
(bh=20120cm) continue the contours that begin
in the basement and create a fluid transition between
external wall and roof.

On the other side of the building, the roof structure
ends abruptly above the glass facade with its posts
and rails. A mitre joint is the basis of the junction with the
column here, with steel plates let into the timber plus
steel dowels forming a rigid connection. Simply supported
purlins span between the half-frames to provide stability
and support the roof decking; on the facade there are
similar rails for attaching the cladding. Stability for the
structure is ensured by wind girders in the middle of the
roof and the post-and-rail facade, as well as the decking
to the roof structure, which is doubled up at certain places
for this reason.
Roof structure with two primary beams and many

secondary beams
The roof structure essentially consists of two glued
laminated timber beams spanning the elliptical plan form
in the longitudinal direction and secondary beams perpendicular to those. One of the two main beams is
positioned on the major axis and forms the backbone
of the grid, the other is positioned parallel with this,
halfway across the rear half of the ellipse. This results in
three roughly 20 metre wide bays across the width
of the ellipse which are spanned by the secondary beams
(bh=2024100120cm).

For aesthetic reasons, but also in view of the costs,
the main beams had to be kept slender, which led to the
decision to design them as continuous beams with
hinged splices (zero-moment splices). As a column-free
interior was the aim, the inevitable intermediate
columns were considered undesirable by the architects,
especially on the backbone. Nevertheless, the architects and engineers agreed on a minimum number of
three columns in one half and two walls serving as
supports in the other. The spacings of the columns were

chosen so carefully that they disturb neither pool users

nor the architecture.

In the end, cross-sectional dimensions of 20 or
38 centimetres wide and 150 or 180 centimetres deep were
chosen to suit this solutiondimensions that matched
the proportions considered desirable for the backbone.
The shorter, parallel main beam 20 metres away rests
on eight intermediate columns, which were easy to integrate into the surrounding structure as they are outside
the pool area.
Room acoustics
The final issue was how to achieve satisfactory room
acoustics. Using acoustic panels on the walls was not an
option. Many wall areas were reserved for the red padding
that already acts as a sound attenuator, but was also
chosen to provide a soft contrast to the hard materials
concrete, steel, and stone used at ground floor level.
So the roof was the only alternative. The architects came
up with a solution as simple as it is attractive: rows
of inclined panels made up of timber slats suspended
between the transverse beams. Not only do they attenuate interior noise, they also lend the roof structure
a special character, making it look almost like a sawtooth
roof from inside.

Installing the panels at an angle left gaps that provided a perfect chance to allow daylight to enter the
leisure centre through the rooflights. There are also large
circular rooflights in the middle of the building.

State-of-the-art ecology and safety
Les Thermes is also convincing in terms of ecology and
safety. The roof decking includes about 500m of
photovoltaic panels. A combined heat and power (CHP)
system in the building provides the necessary energy
and the mother-and-child pool is disinfected with the help
of an ozone installation. For enhanced safety, the facility
is equipped with a Poseidon camera system with which
swimmers in difficulty, even on the bottom of the pool,
can be located within a few seconds and rescued.

Light and airy timber structure
The leisure and swimming centre together with its
generous sauna amenities, fitness zone, and spacious
restaurant was opened to the public in February 2009
and since then has proved very popular. The architects
paid particular attention to ensuring good sightlines
and views in all areas. However, Les Thermes is also an
excellent example of how a large timber structure can
radiate a certain lightness. sjf

tonkonstruktion. Im Abstand von

5 m entsprechend dem durchgngigen Gebuderaster fhren die Halbrahmen (b/h = 20 x 120 cm) die angedeutete Kontur des Unterbaus weiter
gang von Auenwand zu Dach.
Im Bereich der Pfosten-RiegelGlasfassaden sind die Binder/Sttzen-bergnge dagegen abrupt. Hier
sind sie auf Gehrung geschnitten und
ber eingeschlitzte Bleche und StabZur Stabilisierung und als Unterkonstruktion fr den weiteren

Die Aussteifung des Gebudes bewerkstelligen sowohl Windverbnde im mittleren Dachbereich und im
Bereich der Pfosten-Riegel-Fassade
als auch die Rundum-Beplankung
des Dachtragwerks, die an verschiedenen Stellen zu diesem Zweck auch
doppelt aufgebracht wurde.
Das Dachtragwerk besteht im Wesentlichen aus zwei BS-Holz-Haupttrgern, die den ellipsenfrmigen
Grundriss in Lngsrichtung berspannen, sowie aus senkrecht daran
anschlieenden Quer- bzw. Nebentrgern. Einer der beiden Haupttrger

gern (b/h = 20 bis 24 x 100 bis 120

cm) berspannt werden.
Aus sthetischen Grnden sowie aus Kostengrnden durften die
Haupttrger nicht zu klobig ausfallen, was die Ausfhrung als Mehrfeldbzw. Durchlauftrger mit Gerbergelenken (momentenfreier Anschluss
bei Durchlauftrgern), kurz: Gerbertrger, nahelegte. Die dafr notwendigen Zwischensttzen waren
zwar architektonisch vor allem beim
Rckgrat nicht gewnscht, da die
Badelandschaft mglichst sttzenfrei bleiben sollte. Architekten und

A
Hallenlngsschnitt

291,26

292,06

292,09

292,89

NDERUNGEN

WERKSPLANUNG

BAUWERK

"LES THERMES" CENTRE DE NATATION

INTERCOMMUNAL STRASSENBERTRANGE
MASSTAB

PERSPEKTIVE

2, 0

291,26

292,06

292,09

292,98

DATUM

ADMINISTRATION COMMUNALE DE LA COMMUNE DE STRASSEN

BAUTEIL

292,89

292,90

INDEX

BAUHERR

1:100
1:
1:

OCHS GMBH

TELEFON

BAHNHOFSTRASSE 37

TELEFAX

06763931055
55481 KIRDCHBERG

06763931052

DATUM

01.06.2008
GEZEICHNET

AZ
AUFTRAGSNR.

11007007
BLATTNR.

600

2,
50
%

HERMANN & VALENTINY ET ASSOCIS

Das Rckgrat des Dachtragwerks ruht als Gerbertrger auf drei Zwischensttzen und vier Schachtpfeilern (nicht eingezeichnet)

mikado

89

BS-Holz-Zwickel

2 94.
00

2 93.
75

293 ,5

Leitungsende,
S=287,12

stze von Betonsttzen bzw. die Be-

293

.50

293 ,5

293 .2 5

50

29 3.00

29

5
.2

293 ,4

293

.0 0

2 9 2.75

293 ,5

293 ,5

292

29 3.75

0
2.5

75

29

292.

29 3.00

29 3.25

29 3.50

29 3.75

29 4.00

29 4.00

~ 1,50
~ 1,50
~ 1,50

dbel biegesteif angeschlossen.

Longitudinal section: the backbone to the roof

structure is a hinged girder with intermediate
supports in the form of three columns and two walls
(the latter not shown in this section).

C --> Plan of ground floor showing the five columns and

two wall segments supporting the backbone

290,00
WSP

WSP
Sohle

Isometric drawing

291,00
290,60

.75

292

293 ,4

293 ,4

50

.25
292
00
2.
29

293 ,5

292.

.50

Sohlbefestigung,
Natursteinpflaster
mit M

3
29

293 ,5

2 9 3.25

293 ,4

2.

75

293.

90

Project Les Thermes leisure and swimming centre, Strassen-Bertrange,

Luxembourg
Form of construction Glulam roof structure on concrete substructure
Completed 2009
Construction period February 2006 to January 2009
Costs 28 million
Usable floor area 10930m
Enclosed volume 60560m
Client CNI LES THERMES Strassen-Bertrange, 8041 Strassen, Luxembourg
Planning/Architecture Les Thermes architects consortium: Jim Clemes,
Witry&Witry, Hermann&Valentiny et Associs (Clemes Architecte,
4221 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, www.clemes.lu; Atelier Witry&Witry,
6471 Echternach, www.witry-witry.lu; Hermann&Valentiny et Associs,
5441 Remerschen, Luxembourg, www.hvp.lu)
Project management Axel Christmann, Hermann&Valentiny et Associs
Structural engineering Communaut des Bureaux dEtudes Schroeder
&Associs/TECNA, 1626 Luxembourg, www.schroeder.lu, www.tecna.lu
Building physics/Acoustics Von Rekowsky&Partner, 69469 Weinheim,
Germany
Timber contractor Ochs GmbH, 55481 Kirchberg, Germany, www.ochs.info

A Glulam half-frames every 5 metres give the

building its shape.
B

Rounded glulam gussets create a fluid transition.

C The closed side of Les Thermes with the entrance

in the middle

Quantity of timber used 1075m

Carbon (C) content approx.269t
Sequestered CO approx.986t

Acoustic ceiling of sloping panels made of wooden

slats and vertical slatted panels closing off the areas
up to the rooflights

91

A stadium as
a shining example

The Allianz Riviera Stadium

in Nice is unique in many
ways. Its roof has the largest
timber-and-steel lattice
structure (49500m) that
has ever been built with
such a geometry. The amount
of timber used is an advantage in terms of sustainability but a disadvantage
in terms of weight, although
that proved beneficial
for the overall earthquake
safety concept.

The multifunction Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, which

has a capacity of 35000, was opened in September 2013
and should be one of the venues for European Football
Championship matches in 2016. The energy-plus stadium
is regarded as a showpiece in terms of sustainability
environmental issues were priorities right from the start.

It took a year to translate the design vision of an
organically curving roof structureproviding a light and
airy enclosure around the pitch, on the one hand, and
reflecting the chain of hills on both sides of the River Var
on the otherinto a buildable design.

Modelling the load-bearing structure with the help
of 3D CAD programmes was relatively straightforward;
it was afterwards that the real work began. During the
various steps of the preliminary design, the constructional
considerations and the geometrical requirements
were gradually harmonised so that a series of identical
members in a structured global arrangement could
be developed according to mathematical principles.

Wood for a lighter structure, better sustainability
The decision to use large amounts of timber in the roof
structure was based on three advantages of this
renewable building material: its sustainability (keyword:
reducing the CO footprint), its high compressive strength
in relation to its self-weight, and reducing the dead
load of the entire structure, which had a positive effect
when considering the stability of the structure in earthquakes, as Nice is situated in a seismic zone.

The design team developed a concept with base
structure, grandstands, and a net-like roof structure with
two levels made up of a timber lattice and a steel space
frame. A membrane covers the entire roof structure.
Three-tier reinforced concrete grandstands are incorporated in the reinforced concrete base structure. Cantilevering timber-and-steel canopies provide a roof over
this and employ different roof covering materials in
different areas. The vertical sections are clad with transparent ETFE foil, which allows the character of the roof
structure to shine through and also admits daylight. The
horizontal cantilevering sections, on the other hand,
are finished with a white PVC foil, which provides shade

93

The raised perimeter at the base of the north and

south sides looks like the hem of a skirt being lifted
by the wind. It covers the entrance area.

Multifunction stadium, Nice

for the spectators. Between these two areas there are

8500m of photovoltaic panels, which generate some of
the electricity the stadium requires.

94

complexity of the geometry, were difficult even with

the help of a computer. Besides the geometry and the
applied loads, the calculations also had to take into
account the different properties of the building materials,

Soft load-bearing structure absorbs seismic forces
e.g. strength and stiffness, plus external influences
As the stadium is located in a category 4 earthquake zone, such as humidity and temperature, which affect timber,
the aim of the design was to achieve a lightweight,
steel, and concrete (creep and shrinkage) differently.
soft load-bearing structure that can absorb horizontal
forces in the event of an earthquake. The structural

Simulation of roof structure
system chosen by the designers has curving half-frames In order to be able to set up a viable structural model,
with an inner arch (intrados) of criss-crossing glulam
the structural engineers, architects, and timber and other
members to carry the compressive forces and a curving contractors collaborated right from the draft design
outer arch (extrados) made of steel circular hollow
onwardsan unconventional approach. The engineers
sections to carry the tensile forces. An intermediate struc- used three programmes for the detailed analysis and
ture made of steel circular hollow sections arranged
verification of the structural model: one for calculating the
in pyramidal form links the two arches to form a spatial forces at the supports and nodes, or rather the stresses
truss. At the level of the timber lattice, pairs of steel
in the cross-sections and components, another one for the
tubes form the base of each pyramid and connect the
3D modelling for the computer graphics, and yet another
ends of the timber crosses.
into which all the parameters of the load-bearing

A total of sixty timber-and-steel frames cantilever
structure could be input.
46 metres out over the grandstands at a height of

Using the parametric software it was possible to simu30 metres above the pitch. They are supported at two
late the load-bearing structure as an interactive whole,
points only: at the top of the grandstands and at the
similarly to a neuronal network. It was thus possible
bottom of the rear wall to the grandstands, some 2.5 metres to alter certain basic parameters to change quickly from
above forecourt level. Steel beams running around the
concept X to concept Y while retaining the coherency
whole stadium serve as supports. The lower, 800 metre of the overall structure, as the programme automatically
long steel waling is supported on V-columns that are
adjusted all the other parameters to suit. The critical
anchored in the base structure and tie the cantilevering external load was primarily the wind. In total, the engineers
half-frames back to this. There are also horizontal steel
investigated 18 million loading cases in the computer
beams that tie the peripheral beam back to the concrete and from those selected 232 of the most pessimistic wind
walls. The waling takes the tension and compression
scenarios to examine the extreme cases. A further
due to wind, snow, and earthquake loads.
difficulty arose which complicated the calculations: the
nodes of the timber lattice are not rigid and permit

Subdivision of concrete structure and undulating roof a certain amount of play.
In the event of an earthquake, for the total structure to be
able to absorb the seismic forces and stability to be guar-
Low number of nodes thanks to crossing
anteed, the concrete base structure with its grandstands
timber members
is divided into fourteen blocks. These oscillate separately
To resist the axial forces, the designers chose intersecting
and thus dampen the earthquake loads for the roof struc- glulam members of different thicknesses laid up in
ture, whose upper support also includes sliding bearings.
parallel blocks. The middle of the thicker cross-section

The task was to harmonise the numerous individual includes a slot through which the other, thinner crosselements of the concrete structure with the peripheral,
section is threaded. One bolt connects the members at
undulating roof structure. Added to this was the fact that each intersection. This threaded connection halved
the grandstands on all four sides had to be raised to
the number of structural nodes compared with the original
maximise the number of seats. The height was reduced plan. The individual members with lengths varying
at the corners, where sightlines are poorer anyway.
between 7 and 10 metres brace each other and thus halve
That led to an undulating line for the top of the grandtheir buckling lengths; on their own they would be at
stands, which matches that of the roof. Although this
risk of buckling.
varying height is symmetrical about both the main axes
Just the bearing pressure of the timber crosses alone
of the stadium, it has an effect on the geometry of
generates compressive forces on the members and
the roof frame.
hence shear forces between the outer and inner areas. The

Therefore, additional structural calculations had to be member cross-sections are sized to carry these forces:
performed for each curved section, which, owing to the
the 58 centimetre wide solid timber thread-through

Axonomtrie clate de principe

Top support
Bottom support, anchored to base
structure via horizontal connecting members
and V-legs
1

0m

25 m
0

Membrane

Extrados
in steel

Intrados
in timber

Grandstands

Base structure
A Section showing the half-frames cantilevering
46 metres out over the grandstands and supported at
just two points. The supports are in the form of steel
beams around the entire stadium. The lower one is
supported on V-shaped columns and horizontal members
tying it back to the concrete structure.

Photovoltaic panels for generating electricity, PVC

foil for shade, and ETFE foil for transparency

Exploded drawing of the levels of the construction

50

members are between 16 and 23 centimetres thick,

whereas the members with slots have the same width but
are between 34 and 50 centimetres thick, and the
clear opening matches the thickness of the solid timber
member.

Multifunction stadium, Nice

Special steel connecting plate
To join the steel and timber members to form a lattice,
the timber contractor developed a butterfly-shaped steel
connecting plate combined with a tubular steel purlin.
Four timber members (via plates let into the timber) plus
the steel pyramids can therefore be joined at every node.

The symmetry of the structure about the two main
axes means that every timber and steel component in the
roof structure occurs four times. Meticulously planned
site operations, detailed structural location drawings,
and constant fine adjustments with millimetre precision
helped when assembling and positioning the curved

96

half-frames consisting of three pre-assembled sections.

The sixty half-frames were erected at intervals and
joined with glulam crosses, but without the steel superstructure. For erection, the crosses could be rotated just
enough about their crossing point like scissors so that the
crosses linking the half-frames could be slipped between
these and then spread apart again to rotate the connecting plates into line with the plates in the half-frames.

The result is a masterpiece
Designing and constructing complex geometry on this
scale can be regarded as a masterly performance. It is the
result of optimum cooperation between all members
of the planning team, who also understood how to use the
very latest software to accomplish this task and interpret the respective outputs of the iterative approximation
process. The goal of creating a lightweight, flexible
structure has therefore been achieved. sjf

97

A The timber members intersecting at any one node

are all of the same type. The plates let into the
timber for the thread-through members are installed
perpendicular to the thickness of the cross-section
and anchored on the narrow sides with steel dowels.

The slotted members are made of four glulam

laminations laid up in parallel blocks. The plates for
the hinged connections let into the timber parallel with
the width of the member are connected via steel
dowels in the two middle laminations, which are then
covered by the two outer laminations. The two middle
laminations are curtailed to form the slot.

The glulam crosses consist of one narrow solid

timber member and one member with a slot. The
former is threaded through the latter.
C

Once in position, the connecting plates of the

timber crosses could be rotated onto the connecting
plates of the frame by opening them like scissors.

98

99

Project Allianz Riviera multifunction stadium in Nice, www.allianz-riviera.fr

Form of construction Engineered timber-and-steel structure
Construction period July 2011 to September 2013
Costs 243.5 million
Client City of Nice, 06364 Nice, France, www.nice.fr
Contractor Nice Eco Stadium (NES; subsidiary of VINCI)
Funding Private-public-partnership (PPP) model
Developer ADIM Cte-dAzur, 06202 Nice, France, www.adim.fr
General contractor VINCI Concessions Rhne Alpes, www.vinci.com
Architecture Wilmotte&Associs, 75012 Paris, France, www.wilmotte.fr
Structural engineering IOSIS et EGIS Btiment, 78286 Guyancourt Cedex,
France, www.egis.fr
Timber contractor Fargeot Lamell Coll, 71220 Vrosvres, France,
www.arbonis.com
Steelwork SMB Constructions Mtalliques, 22440 Ploufragan, France,
www.smb-cm.fr
Erection G.M.G.General Montaggi Genovesi S.r.l., 16128 Genoa, Italy,
www.generalmontaggigenovesi.it
The PVC foil covering the timber-and-steel canopy
cantilevering out over the grandstands provides shade
for the spectators.

Quantity of timber used 4000m

Carbon (C) content 1000 t
Sequestered CO 3664t

The finished structure has a membrane covering

raised clear of a timber lattice. The peripheral steel
waling on V-shaped columns forms the lower support
for the roof structure.

C The new multifunction stadium in Nice has a

transparent envelope.

Quantity of steel in roof structure 3300t

Further information
Films (in French) showing the construction of the stadium:
www.tinyurl.com/ka43epo
www.tinyurl.com/ml4jf4f

p.102

p.110

p.116

p.122

p.128

Multi-storey
buildings
LCT One and IZM
Apartment building,
Wagramer Strae
Canols staff hostel
Wlderhaus
Woodcube

102

LifeCycle Tower One

and Illwerke offices

The LCTOne unitised building

system could well help
modern timber construction
to recapture the cultural
significance that timber
buildings had for towns and
cities in the Middle Ages.
Two examples demonstrate
the comprehensive options
of this hybrid building
system, which is suitable
for both high- and low-rise
structures. The qualities
of this system are, first and
foremost, its standardised
industrial production
that takes up the early ideas
of Konrad Wachsmann
and transfers them to the
modern age.

It was in 2009 that Cree GmbH, a subsidiary of the

Rhomberg construction company, initiated a research
project with an interdisciplinary team of experts headed
by Vorarlberg-based architect Hermann Kaufmann.
Together, the specialists from R&D, practice, and applied
science created a new timber hybrid building system
that has helped timber construction shake off the
provincialism with which it had been occasionally labelled.
A rationalised modular system in every way, it can
be used to construct buildings up to thirty storeys, i.e.

100 metres, high. The first two buildings erected with

this new systemthe eight-storey LifeCycle Tower One
(LCT One) in Dornbirn in 2012 and the Illwerke office
building in Montafon in 2013have restored timber
construction to the world of international architecture
and contemporary urban design.

103

Symbol for a new era in timber construction: the

eight-storey LifeCycle Tower One built to the passivehouse energy standard

LifeCycle Tower One
Various factors are responsible for the pioneering
achievement of the LCT system. CAD design and

LCT One, Dornbirn, and IZM, Montafon

104

computer-controlled fabrication plant allow the parts of

the system, including insulation and space for services,
to be prefabricated with millimetre accuracy and delivered
to the building site just in time. Consequently, erection
can take place straight away, with a consistently high
standard of quality and without delays for drying out. In
addition, the potential for errors is reduced to a minimum. The degree of prefabrication for the wall and floor
elements is geared to future needs. That and the use of
the renewable raw material wood, the low dust and
noise emissions plus the complete recyclability guarantee
the sustainability of this form of construction.

Using the LCT system, one to two complete storeys
were erected every day, meaning that, once the ground
floor slab and the service core were finished, a weather-
proof structural carcass could be assembled within
ten days. It was also possible to increase the efficiency
of the use of materials and resources, e.g. by using
non-encapsulated, load-bearing, solid timber compo-
nentsa new approach for multi-storey timber buildings.
Refraining from encapsulation allowed the key features
of the woodtexture, feel, and charmto be retained
and thus improve the interior. Built in reinforced concrete
for fire protection reasons, the service core contains the
stairs and lift, and at the same time carries loads and
braces the building. The external wall construction, with
the load-bearing timber structure left visible on the
inside, has a U-value of 0.12W/mK for a thickness of
48 centimetres. From inside to outside, the layers of the
wall are: OSB/vapour barrier, insulated timber frame,
cement-bonded wood fibre board, cavity framing closed
off with lightweight, incombustible, composite aluminium
elements. With no walls or columns inside the building,
users can subdivide the interior to suit their needs.

Simple plug-in connection
The LCT system is designed with pinned joints, with the
floors functioning as horizontal diaphragms with
shear-resistant connections and the facade columns as
pinned-end members. There are predefined points
on the vertical service core for carrying the horizontal
loads of the prefabricated suspended floor elements
and transferring these to the foundations. The floor
elements at 2.70 metres centre-to-centre are supported
on unclad glued laminated timber columns integrated
into the facade which carry the loads from the floor ele-
ments down to the next twin timber column. As is
customary with forms of construction using prefabricated
components, the twin columns are fixed to the floor
elements and secured against pull-out by way of simple
plug-in tube/spigot connections. This principle behind
the structural carcass guarantees the dimensional
stability of the building in the vertical direction and

ensures that vertical progress proceeds quickly and

according to schedule. All floor and wall elements
include projecting steel tubes. Each subsequent column
fits onto the top end of the steel tube exactly. Afterwards, the spaces within the column footprint are filled
with grout. This creates a stable structural connection
between the upper facade column and the floor element
fitted below. So the vertical progress and the speed
of erecting the LCT modular system are essentially
determined by the high precision of modern engineered
timber construction.

Multifunctional composite floors
The timber-concrete composite ribbed floor developed
specially for the LCT system combines various functions
and also fulfils architectural requirements. Its com-
paratively low self-weight is due to the relatively light-
weight glulam ribs that are finished with an 80 millimetre
concrete topping. As with the exposed timber facade
columns, the solid timber ribs of the composite floor are
left on show. The multifunctional building services
were installed between the exposed timber ribs of the
suspended floor elements. Service units, likewise
prefabricated, include ventilation, sprinkler, and lighting
systems as well as heating and cooling modules. The
acoustic performance of the floor has been optimised
through the use of a raised access floor whose voids were
filled with concrete afterwards. Steel brackets, enclosed
in gypsum fire-resistant board (GKF) to comply with
fire protection requirements, are used to attach the
composite floors to the service core.

The fire protection concept required the individual
storeys to be separated from each other. A reinforced
concrete ring beam around each composite floor interrupts
the glulam facade columns at every floor. In the event
of a fire on one floor, the concrete prevents the fire
spreading to the next floor above or below via the timber
columns. The fire design of the composite floor was
carried out to Eurocode 4 (REI). Cree GmbH carried out
five series of laboratory tests to establish the fire
resistance. Four of the composite floors conceived with
different geometries were awarded test certificates
for fire resistance classes REI90 (=F90) and REI120
(=F120). So the composite floors satisfy all fire, acoustic,
load-bearing, and appearance requirements.

Office building for Illwerke, Montafon
The new office complex for Vorarlberger Illwerke AG in
Montafon, Austria, was built using the industrial building
system field-tested on the prototype LCT One building.
The 120 metre long, 60 metre wide and 21 metre high
structureand with about 10000m of usable floor area
one of the worlds largest timber-based office buildings

Plannummer CAD

Sportplatzweg 5 A-6858 Schwarzach

T +43 (0)5572 58174 www.hermann-kaufmann.at
[email protected]

Publikationsplan

Projekt

M 1:50

Planinhalt

LCT ONE, Dornbirn

2_verffentlichungen hk IV / 0250
Projektnummer / Archiv

10_21

FASSADENDETAILSCHNITT

105

D
Plannummer CAD

Publikationsplan

Projekt

M 1:33

Planinhalt

2_verffentlichungen hk IV / 0253

Sportplatzweg 5 A-6858 Schwarzach

T +43 (0)5572 58174 www.hermann-kaufmann.at
[email protected]

Projektnummer / Archiv

10_21

A >>

Facade details, IZM

B >>

Facade details, LCT One

LCT ONE, Dornbirn

MONTAGEABFOLGE

C The

timber-concrete composite floor elements

were joined to the load-bearing twin columns via
a simple plug-in tube/spigot system to prevent the
components from coming apart. This principle behind
the structural carcass guarantees the dimensional
stability of the building in the vertical direction and
ensures that vertical progress proceeds quickly
and according to schedule.

D >>

Erection sequence for LCT One

Construction was carried out based on a grid with

a consistently high level of quality. The individual
components were accurately prefabricated and there-
fore enabled both an economic and ecologically
sound modular form of construction.

E >>

106

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

Modern timber building in classical architecture.

Despite its size, the new office building for the
Illwerke company has a certain lightness about it.

B Illwerke

office building, longitudinal section

combines classical industrial architecture and contemporary engineered timber construction. The building
housing the hydropower competence centre blends boldly
into the vigorous natural environment of the Alps
with apparent ease. It is a stylish eye-catcher that rede-
fines Illwerkes established location, although the
horizontal design avoids dominating the scene. The
dynamic choreography of the regular pattern of Hermann
Kaufmanns facade has sound, economical proportions.
Again in this building he has remained true to his
fundamental goal of combining industrial building tradi-
tions with timber building customs and knowledge.
The horizontal lines of the buildings frame bring together
functionality, delicate details, and subtle elegance.
Wood and glass determine the scene. Together they
establish a pattern that pervades the entire building. The
strict horizontal and vertical symmetry corresponds
with the precise engineering and design accomplishments
produced in the offices inside. Every unit of the grid
represents one working place. Cantilevering floors, clad
in copper sheet, ensure a grand appearance. At the
same time, they serve as canopies shielding the elegant
vertical oak cladding on the spandrel panels below
the windows in every storey.

107

The walls to this building with their timber structure left

exposed internally have a U-value of 0.15W/mK for a
thickness of 48 centimetres. From inside to outside, the
layers of the wall are: OSB/vapour barrier, insulated
timber frame, cement-bonded wood fibre board, cavity
framing closed off with oak cladding. The airtightness
value of the building envelope, designed as diffusionimpermeable at the request of the client, determined in
a blower door test is n500.21/h. The heating energy
requirement is 14kWh perm of usable floor space,
which corresponds to Austrian energy performance rating
A++. So this building achieves passive-house standard
the first so-called green building on this scale in
Vorarlberg, a region known for its timber buildings.

Diversity in unity
The LCT system was developed as a standardised,
universally applicable form of construction that, quite
rightly, has been established through two important
construction projects. Many variations are possible within
this open, modular building system. The range of appli-
cations (offices, residential, commercial) shows the
possibilities inherent in the LCT system. In addition, clients
can choose between passive-house, energy-plus, and
low-energy standards depending on climate zone and

Levitating lightness
budget. This diversity in unity is a fundamental strategic
Despite its size, Illwerkes new office building radiates
element. The high degree of prefabrication and the
a certain lightness, primarily because one quarter of this consistent systemisation of the construction process
elongated block cantilevers 30 metres over the resermake serial production of the individual modules with
voir serving the pumped-storage hydroelectric power
high batch numbers possible. Furthermore, the LCT
station, seeming to hover there. Although this levitating system fulfils one key criterion for a sustainable (building)
building is supported on impervious concrete columns,
industry: the work is carried out in decentralised,
they disappear beneath the surface of the water when local/regional economic cycles with corresponding pros-
the reservoir is full. This hybrid five-storey building
perity effects for the region in which the work is carried
rests on a reinforced concrete basement.
out and from where the raw materials originate. Cree

The two service cores are also in reinforced concrete; does not normally export any components. Users
they project beyond the rear of the building and are
are either general contractors supplying the design and
clad in perforated copper sheet, creating a subtle contrast construction expertise, and managing the entire building
with the rest of the structure. Each service core conprocess, or users who take responsibility for the
tains inconspicuous lifts but conspicuously spacious and structural carcass as a subcontractor. In all cases, the
bright stairs that encourage movement and meetings,
LCT elements should be produced locally, close to
and extend the communal zones of the office floors
the respective building site, by local contractors using
so to speak. Fittingly, the interior atmosphere on the
local resources according to the Cree specification.
office floors is pleasant, conveying a sense of privacy.
This impression is reinforced by the exposed, load-

Primary energy requirement and CO footprint
bearing, twin timber columns, the built-in cupboards
As was the target in the research project, the LCT form
in oak veneer around the periphery, and also the
of construction achieves a significant increase in the
soffits, lined with a total of 100 kilometres of timber
efficiency of the embodied energy, materials, and work.
slats produced from 76 tonnes of indigenous fir and
Therefore, compared with conventional reinforced
spruce. The coherent interior architecture is rounded off concrete buildings, it was possible to improve the CO
by the uninterrupted views of the mountains in all
footprint by some 90 per cent. That figure includes
directions through the generously sized, triple-glazed
the emissions caused by the production, transport, erec-
wooden windows.
tion, and upkeep during the envisaged fifty-year design

A Illwerke

office building, plan of ground floor

B Illwerke

office building, plan of standard

office floor
C LCT

One, plan of standard floor

D The

unclad, load-bearing timber elements

create a pleasant working environment in the
open-plan office areas.

E The generous use of wooden surfaces, plenty

of light, and the unobstructed view of the lake
turn the Illwerke cafeteria into an inviting place.

30
30

Ground floor

30
30

A0

A0

30

30

27

LCT One, Dornbirn, and IZM, Montafon

3rd floor

108

3rd floor

C
Plannummer CAD

Sportplatzweg 5 A-6858 Schwarzach

T +43 (0)5572 58174 www.hermann-kaufmann.at
[email protected]

Publikationsplan

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10_21

LCT ONE, Dornbirn

REGELGESCHOSS OG3

109

life (including deconstruction and disposal of the materials

of the structural carcass). This positive result is partly
due to the quantities of timber used: 280m in LCT One
30m of that in the form of wood-based panel products
and the structural solid timber in the facades and
the other 250m in the form of glued laminated timber
in the composite floors and facade columns. That
corresponds to a carbon content (and wood is 50 per cent
carbon) of about 70 tonnes, which results in CO
sequestration amounting to more than 257 tonnes. The

Illwerke building contains some 3000m of timber,

which corresponds to about 1030m of solid timber
a quantity of timber with a carbon content of about
257.50 tonnes, i.e. CO sequestration amounting to more
than 944 tonnes. More than half of the work involved
in the construction of the Illwerke office building was
carried out by local contractors and firms based in
Vorarlberg. Two-thirds of the timber used was sourced
in Vorarlberg, or rather Montafon, and the other third
came from southern Germany. mwl

LifeCycle Tower One

Illwerke Zentrum Montafon

Client Cree GmbH (subsidiary of Rhomberg Bau GmbH), 6850 Dornbirn,

Austria, www.creebyrhomberg.com

Client Vorarlberger Illwerke AG, 6900 Bregenz, Austria, www.illwerke.at

Architecture Architekten Hermann Kaufmann ZT GmbH,

6858 Schwarzach, Austria, www.hermann-kaufmann.at

Architecture&project management Architekten Hermann Kaufmann ZT

GmbH, Schwarzach, 6858 Schwarzach, Austria,
www.hermann-kaufmann.at

Structural engineering merz kley partner ZT GmbH, 6850 Dornbirn,

Austria, www.mkp-ing.com

Site management Cree GmbH, 6850 Dornbirn, Austria,

www.creebyrhomberg.com

Timber contractor Wiehag GmbH (floor beams), 4950 Altheim, Austria,

www. wiehag.com; Binder Holz (glulam columns), 6263 Fgen, Austria ,
www.binderholz.com; Mayr-Melnhof Holz (posts in timber-frame walls),
8700 Leoben, Austria, www.mm-holz.com

Timber contractor Wall&floor elements, oak cladding: Sohm HolzBautechnik GmbH, 6861 Alberschwende, Austria, www.sohm-holzbau.at

Design period December 2010 to August 2011

Start on site September 2011 (in situ concrete)
Timber structure March 2012 (2 working weeks)
LCT system Floors&columns+facade
Completed July 2012
Plan area 305m2
Net floor area 1765m2
Gross floor area 2319m2
Gross enclosed volume 8074m3
Heating requirement 13.9kWh/ma
Building costs perm 1650
Total building costs 4.1 million
Quantity of timber used 280m
Carbon (C) content 70t
Sequestered CO2 257t

Floor beams, glulam columns Kaufmann Zimmerei+Tischlerei GmbH,

6870 Reuthe, Austria, www.kaufmannzimmerei.at
Slats to soffits Frick Burtscher Holz mit Technik GmbH, 6850 Dornbirn,
Austria, www.holz-mit-technik.at
Structural engineers merz kley partner, 6850 Dornbirn, Austria,
www.mkp-ing.com
HVAC/Sanitary consultants Planungsteam E-Plus GmbH, 6863 Egg,
Austria, www.e-plus.at
Electrical engineers elPlan, 6886 Schoppernau, Austria, www.elplan.at
Building physics WSS Wrme- und Schallschutztechnik Thomas Schwarz,
6820 Frastanz, Austria, www.wss.or.at
Fire protection Institut fr Brandschutztechnik und Sicherheitsforschung,
4021 Linz, Austria, www.ibs-austria.at
Drainage Rudhardt+Gasser, 6900 Bregenz, Austria, www.rgzt.at
Surveying Engineering Messtechnik, 79418 Schliengen, Germany
Geotechnical consultants Geotek, A-6800 Feldkirch, Austria,
www.swr-engineering.com
Facade GDB Fassadenentwicklung, 6850 Dornbirn, Austria, www.gbd.at
Lighting Zumtobel Lighting GmbH, 6850 Dornbirn, Austria,
www.zumtobel.com
Net floor area 9900m
Gross floor area 11497m
Gross enclosed volume 44881m
Building costs (net) 21.5 million
Costs per m net floor area 2172
Costs per m gross floor area 1870
Costs per m gross enclosed volume 479
Quantity of timber used 1030m
Carbon (C) content 257t
Sequestered CO2 944t

110

111

Timber in the city and for

publicly assisted housing

Timber construction has

been returning to the urban
environment in recent
years. One example from
Austria also integrates
the social factor and demon-
strates the opportunities
for building publicly assisted,
ecological apartments.

Donaustadt, a district in Vienna with 150000 inhabitants

and an area of 10000 hectares, now has a housing
complex that sets new standards even in this Alpine
country well known for its timber buildings. There are
101 rented flats in this complex: 71 in a seven-storey
block parallel with Wagramer Strae and 30 in a trio of
three-storey wings at the rear. The roadside block has
a ground floor in reinforced concrete (to comply with
fire protection stipulations) and above that six storeys
in a hybrid form of construction employing cross-
laminated timber (CLT). Besides providing structural and
fire protection functions, the ground floor also contains
social amenities, which are intended to promote a
communal spirit and help the entire area to generate its
own identity. The substantial roadside building also
functions as a sort of screen against road noise and the
commotion of the city. The three-storey wings, all
completely in timber, behind the roadside block benefit
from this screening, likewise the rear-facing rooms of
the seven-storey block.

Schluder Architektur (seven-storey block) and Hagmller

Architekten (three-storey wings). FamilieGemein-
ntzige Wohn- und Siedlungsgenossenschaft, a housing
association in Vienna, is behind the project and also
manages and operates the complex. It trades under the
operative umbrella of a cooperatively organised company, Sozialbau AG, Austrias leading private housebuilding
enterprise. Sozialbau AG is dedicated to limited-profitmaking and publicly assisted housebuilding, and is
based on three housing cooperatives: Familie, Volksbau,
and Wohnbau.

The complex on Wagramer Strae is the first time
that an urban construction project on this scale has
been integrated in a socio-ecological timber construction
context funded by the City of Vienna with public monies.
The 101 apartments with floor areas between 62 and
102m qualified for additional funding from the city author-
ities which is granted for low-income households and
for young families and/or those with many children. This
supplementary funding can be granted in addition
to the main funding and brings down monthly rents,
although this extra funding is coupled to defined maxi-
mum income levels and the form of construction of the
particular residential building. The funding is paid to
the developers, in this case the FamilieGemeinntzige
Wohn- und Siedlungsgenossenschaft.

Cooperative construction project with

additional funding
With six timber storeys, the apartment building on
Wagramer Strae is Austrias tallest residential building
in timber. A competition for a preliminary timber design
in an urban setting had been initiated in 2009 by
Viennas councillor for housing and urban development,
Michael Ludwig, and Wohnfonds Wien, a non-profitmaking body promoting high-quality housing in the city.
Two architectural practices produced detailed designs
from the winning concepts: the Vienna-based architects

The hybrid front block, which shields the rearwardfacing apartments and the residential wings behind
against road noise.

High-quality materials and construction
Every apartment in this low-energy complex has its own
private open space in the form of a loggia, balcony,
or patio. There is also a mechanical ventilation system.
Healthy linoleum floor coverings have been laid in the

A >> The standard floor plan shows the long block

parallel with Wagramer Strae and the three wings
at the rear connected via covered walkways.

Section through housing complex showing sevenstorey roadside block and one three-storey wing

B >>

Apartment building, Wagramer Strae, Vienna

C >> The timber construction concept and the system

behind this multi-storey rented apartments complex

2nd floor

DG

112

5.OG

4.OG

3.OG

2.OG

1.OG

EG

Timber-concrete composite floor system:

large-format CLT panels with concrete topping; steel plates glued into
the timber connect the concrete to the timber to create a composite
cross-section and achieve a high load-bearing capacity.
Solid timber roof to
topmost storey
CLT partitions and load-bearing
internal walls
Prefabricated timber-concrete
composite floors between
apartments

Prefabricated timber-concrete composite

floors between apartments

Stair/lift towers in reinforced concrete

for stability and earthquake resistance

Stair/lift towers in reinforced concrete

for stability and earthquake resistance
Reinforced concrete ground floor
C

rdgescho

Separate loggias
GSPublisherEngine 406.54.94.29

Cross-section

kitchens; besides linseed oil, linoleum contains only saw-

dust and cork granules, milled limestone, natural resins,
and pigments on a jute backingall natural substances.
Wooden windows and ecologically approved plasterboard have been installed as well. A connection to the
existing district heating network ensures a climateneutral energy supply for space heating and hot water.
Such high-quality materials and forms of construction
are generally reserved for the upmarket, homogeneous
gentrification projects of big, booming cities with
populations in the millions and are not found in heterogeneous conurbations with low and medium incomes.
So this publicly funded and cooperatively organised timber
construction project has taken on a pioneering role
in urban planning. It demonstrates ways of tackling the
current problem that affordable housing in urban and
suburban areas is in short supply and therefore also
makes a housebuilding policy statement. Thus, although
young families and families with many children are
rare nowadays, they are not forced to leave Viennas
Donaustadt district. This presence of different age groups
and lifestyles fosters healthy urban development and
a good mix on the one hand. On the other, it enables
the vitality of youngsters growing up in town to add
dynamic factors in the future.

113

also enables a high level of automation during the

production of the individual elements.

Building with solid timber elements
The seven-storey block is built from solid timber compo-
nents. Both the load-bearing party walls and the non-
load-bearing external walls were built with 14 centimetre
thick CLT panels with a cross-banded lay-up. These
solid timber elements have no voids and exhibit good
dimensional stability and durability for a low self-
weight and good insulation properties, which makes
them ideal for multi-storey residential and commercial
buildings. Owing to the longer spans and the fire pro-
tection requirements, timber-concrete composite
elements have been used for the suspended floors and
the load-bearing wall elements are clad in plasterboard.
The three reinforced concrete stair and lift cores
positioned between the apartments provide the additional protected zones demanded by the fire protection
regulations. At the same time they improve the overall
stability of the seven-storey block and carry the loads
down to the foundations. Bolts in elongated holes form
the connections between the timber and concrete,
although the final fasteners were not installed until the
differential settlement of the blocks was complete.
The three-storey wings behind the main block are exclu-

Time as quality factor
sively in cross-laminated timber. Only the access for
Time is seen as the crucial quality factor in modern
the upper storeys requires concrete walkways. As the
building activities. Time-consuming, lengthy construction spans here are shorter, solid timber elements could
processes are extremely counter-productive in very
be used for the suspended floors, too. These elements
dense urban environments with their very closely inter- are supported on the party and external walls and
linked and mutually dependent economic, logistical, and continue through from one apartment to the next.
social interactions. Such processes disrupt the overall
circulation and interfere with the speed of movement in
Fire protection learning curve
an area that is thoroughly mobile but at the same time
The fire protection concept was approved on the basis
suffers from a fragile transport policy. Therefore,
of new technology dating from 2007, which for the
permanent building sites annoy not only residents, but
first time defined the essential fire safety parameters
investors, transport planners, environmentalists, and
for timber-based, multi-storey residential buildings
a citys economists, too. It was also for these reasons
in building regulations class 5 (i.e. max. 7 storeys). In
that modern timber design was chosen for the Wagramer line with the provisions of OIB Guideline 2 (OIB=Austrian
Strae project. The roadside block has six storeys
Building Technology Institute), the load-bearing, encap-
assembled from prefabricated timber elements on top
sulated components were tested in a furnace for
of a concrete ground floor. The structural carcass was
90 minutes at 1000C. The components passed the test
finished in just three months. The high degree of prefab- without any problems and were granted approval.
rication enabled a rational form of construction with
Unfortunately, no test was carried out to establish whether
wall, floor, and roof elements factory-produced with
the solid timber components would have withstood
millimetre precision which could then be quickly assem- the test without encapsulation; the results would have
bled on site so that the building could grow rapidly.
supplied further valuable information. The objection

Modern engineered timber construction encourages often raised regarding timber buildings in urban envi-
this unitised modular form of construction and is
ronments is the supposedly higher risk of fire. However,
working towards 100 per cent prefabrication. The great
this is based more on psychological impressions
accuracy of the system elements is crucial here
than on scientific findings. Fire tests in the laboratory
because it not only offers unlimited design options, but
resulted in combustion rates of 18 millimetres in


Methods of communication in timber
The Wagramer Strae complex confirms the trend towards
multi-storey, timber-based (residential) buildings in urban
and suburban areas. Nevertheless, it appears odd to
hide the warm, natural, and, for most people, positive
effects of wooden surfaces behind plasterboard and
cement when our towns and cities have had to endure
cold and grey steel and concrete facades for decades.
It is now time to use the rediscovery of wood as a chance
to give our towns and cities new methods of commu-
nication. Timber presents opportunities to employ alter-
native material, surface, and design vocabularies that
promise social warmth, homes, and hospitality within an
ecological framework. mwl

Apartment building, Wagramer Strae, Vienna

30 minutes, 36 millimetres in 60 minutes and 54 milli-

metres in 90 minutes. Even in a fully developed fire, a
solid timber column retains its full load-bearing capacity
for a very long time beforein contrast to a steel
structureit collapses as predicted. Very often the approv-
ing authorities lack experience in this respect. Therefore, preliminary talks with those responsible for fire
protection are necessary when those persons are
(still) unfamiliar with modern engineered timber con-
struction. Encapsulation increases the cost of con-
struction unnecessarily and robs the building of the look
and feel of wood.

114
Developer Familiegemeinntzige Wohn- und Siedlungsgenossenschaft
Reg.Gen.m.b.H., 1070 Vienna, Austria, www.sozialbau.at
Architecture Schluder Architektur ZT GmbH/Hagmller Architekten ZT
GmbH, 1010 Vienna, Austria, www.architecture.at, www.hagmueller.com

Timber contractor Franz Aichinger Hoch-, Tief- und Holzbau GmbH&Co.

Nfg KG., 4844 Regau, Austria, www.aichinger-bau.at; Holzbau Winkler
GmbH, 3250 Wieselburg, Austria, www.holzbau-winkler.at
General contractor Voitl&Co. Baugesellschaft m.b.H., 1020 Vienna,
Austria, www.voitl.at
Structural engineering, calculations&building physics RWT Plus ZT GmbH,
1010 Vienna, Austria, www.rwt.at
Fire protection BrandRat ZT GesmbH, 1050 Vienna, Austria,
www.brandrat.at

Building services Team GMI Ingenieurbro GmbH, 1050 Vienna, Austria,

www.teamgmi.com
Project partners binderholz bausysteme, 5400 Hallein, Austria,
www.binderholz.com; Saint-Gobain RIGIPS Austria, 8990 Bad Aussee,
Austria, www.rigips.com
Landscaping Carla Lo Landschaftsarchitektur, 1030 Vienna, Austria;
Quality control by IBO-kopass (verification of building biology and
building ecology quality), energy performance certificate to OIB Guideline
Usable floor space, apartments 8440m
Communal areas 800m
Completed spring 2013
Total costs 15 million
Public funds 6.3 million (housebuilding grants from City of Vienna)
Quantity of timber used 2500m
Carbon (C) content 625t
Sequestered CO2 2290t

A The

stair and lift cores were built firstin

reinforced concrete to comply with fire protection
stipulations. They are also responsible for the
stability of the structure and for carrying loads.

B The

CLT elements were used for many purposes:

as load-bearing walls, encapsulated in the seven-storey
building, as timber-concrete composite suspended
floors, and as non-load-bearing external walls.

C The three-storey wings on the quiet side away

from the road also employ the continuous horizontal
bands of the main block as a facade theme and
thus lend the building envelope continuity.
D Affordable

housing with architectural appeal for

young families in the centre of town does not have
to remain a dream.

E A

compact, housing cooperative development in

an exciting overall composition with direct, neighbourhood-style references.

115

116

117

A milestone in multistorey timber residential

building

The Canols staff hostel has

been built on the site of the
old hostel at 1500 metres
above sea level at the foot
of the Parpaner Rothorn
mountain in the Canton of
Graubnden. It is the first
six-storey timber accommo-
dation-style building in
which the wooden surfaces
have been left exposed
both inside and outside.

Starting in the valley, the Rothorn cable cars take tourists

via an intermediate station to the western summit,
where there is a panorama restaurant and sun deck.
Tourism-dependent businesses, like those of cable
car operator Lenzerheide Bergbahnen AG, require accom-
modation for seasonal staff near the cable car stations.
In this case an investor has provided the new Canols staff
hostel. A total of sixty-eight workers can be accommo-
dated in the thirteen double and forty-two single rooms.

The large volume of this rectangular block fits in well
with the existing buildings belonging to the cable car
company. This six-storey utility building, made primarily
of indigenous spruce, is a powerful statement in
favour of sustainability in the Alps. In order that the
workers enjoy their short stay in their little 15m single
rooms, the designers have left the walls and soffits
as untreated wooden surfaces. In addition, the building
is based on a diffusion-permeable concept, which ensures
a suitable, pleasant interior climate. A vapour barrier
in the building envelope and mechanical ventilation are
unnecessary with such a concept, which reduced the cost
of the building and cuts the cost of future maintenance.

their south-west orientation with a view of the Rothorn

and the lake at the foot of that mountain, the Heidsee.
Moreover, the incoming daylight suits the size of the
rooms, and the inward-opening windows of the upper
floors can be opened over the full width of the room.
The corridors have been kept deliberately narrow without
any daylight so that residents do not hang around,
possibly creating disturbing noise. The doors to the single
and double rooms lead off from the corridors, neatly
arranged in shallow recesses that function as small
entrance lobbies and break up the uniform lines of the
corridors. Communal amenities are located on the
ground floor. There is a common room with oak furniture
and large windows fitted flush with the external leaf
which provide a link with the outside world. The occupants can also cook for themselves or in groups in a
shared kitchen, and every room is allocated a cupboard
for food and drinks in a separate larder.

Well-conceived interior layout
Although at first sight the number of windows and their
size might seem meagre, this is compensated for by

The fire stops made from tin-plated stainless steel

continue right around the building and constitute
a characteristic feature. The buildings compact
architecture fits in well with the operations building
for the Lenzerheide cable car.

Diversity of timber construction
All floors have the same plan layout and so loads are
carried consistently and without any discontinuity.
However, the design does take account of different
requirements and specifications. For structural and fire
protection reasons, the stairs/lift shaft and ground
floor are in reinforced concrete. These areas also house

Canols staff hostel, Lenzerheide

laundry rooms, building services and communal amenities

for the occupants, which are subdivided internally with
prefabricated timber elements. Using a unitised form
of timber construction, the five upper floors were then
built off this concrete base and service core, which is in
the form of an upright L, with the vertical leg forming
the narrow south wall. A timber frame design has been
used for the two longitudinal sides of the hostel, clad
on the inside with cross-laminated timber (CLT) in
facing quality. On the narrow north elevation, the timber
engineers specified a CLT solution to comply with earth-
quake requirements. An 18 centimetre thick CLT wall,
left exposed on the inside and clad on the outside with
20 centimetre thick mineral insulation, is used over
the full height of the building.

118

Local spruce for external cladding
Glued timber box elements have been used for the roof
and the suspended floors. These elements are made of
large 27 millimetre thick cross-laminated timber glued
to glulam ribs, with the soffit boards, like the walls, in
facing quality. Such elements are suitable for multi-storey
residential buildings because although they have a low
self-weight and low depth, they are still suitable for
long spans. The voids are filled with a mineral insulation.
A fleece, paving slabs, and mineral impact sound insu-
lation guarantee the necessary sound insulation and
fire protection for the suspended floors. A sliding detail
has been used for the junctions between the underside
of the suspended floors and the partitions separating
the rooms. The flat roof is finished with 50 millimetres of
loose gravel. The buildings stability is guaranteed
by the service core at the southern end, the CLT north
wall, the suspended floors, and the roof. All floors and
internal and external walls include mineral insulation. The
timber facade that distinguishes this building is made
of a single layer of 21 millimetre thick tongue and
groove boards made of local spruce. They were given
a grey patina in advance by applying a thin varnish
because the different sides of the building are exposed
to different weather conditions, which would have
hindered the formation of a uniform grey colour.

Short construction time was deciding factor
The high degree of prefabrication led to the comparatively
short construction time of just eight months. A total
of 335 wall and 145 floor elements, including the sprinkler
installation in the suspended floors, were factory-
prefabricated. During this work the visible, load-bearing
CLT facing to the timber-frame construction was glued
under pressure directly to the glulam ribs. This there-
fore satisfies the aesthetic requirements regarding the
surfacesthe spruce had to remain visibleand the

structural requirementsthe tensile forces are thus

efficiently transferred to the timber structure via the
glulam ribs. The elements were delivered to the building
site just in time and then lifted into position with a
crane in quick succession for highly accurate assembly
according to the modular principle.
Fire protectionfirst time for exposed wooden
surfaces inside and outside
In line with the Swiss fire protection regulations, the
Canols hostel was classified by the authority responsible,
in this case the Canton of Graubnden Fire Authority,
as a six-storey accommodation facility. Although build-
ings in this category intended for this type of use
cannot normally be built with combustible surfaces and
load-bearing members, in this case the authority granted
an approval which stipulated a specific fire protection
concept for the building. That concept included a series
of structural and technical measures, in some instances
based on the provisions of the new fire protection
regulations, which only came into force on 1 January
2015. The main fire protection measures required by the
approval were as follows:
A sprinkler installation providing full protection
throughout the building
A system of fire detectors monitoring the entire
building
A smoke and heat extraction system
Construction of the timber external wall, including
cladding, according to Swiss Lignum Documentation
Fire Protection 7.1: External wallsconstruction
and cladding
Classification of the building in Swiss quality control
stage Q 4, supervised and checked by a specialist
engineer according to Swiss Lignum Documentation
2.1: Building with timberquality control in fire
protection
A safety clearance of at least 7.5 metres to adjacent
buildings
Whereas the mineral ground floor and service core were
built to class REI 60 fire resistance standard, the load-
bearing timber members of the upper floors are class
R60. The suspended floors and corridor walls form fire
compartments and had to comply with class EI60
requirements because of their timber construction, but
the partitions separating the individual rooms are
only EI30 because of the full sprinkler installation. The
window frames, clad in tin-plated, non-rusting stain-
less steel, continue as fire stops around the entire building,
forming a symmetrical feature, a frame typifying the
timber structure, which is broken up by the window open-
ings. This highly visible fire protection measure is a
symbolic vanguard for modern, multi-storey construction

119

The compact architecture of the block takes into

account the microclimate building situation at
1500 metres above sea level, where it is important to
minimise heat losses through the building envelope.

A >>

The untreated wood walls and soffits plus the

diffusion-permeable design result in a pleasant interior
climate in the individual rooms.

B >>

C The

corridors, illuminated by artificial light only,

have been kept deliberately narrow to discourage
groups from congregating, avoiding the associated
noise; they are, however, slightly wider at the
entrance doors to the rooms.
C

in timber which displays this established building

material internally and externally, and does not hide it
behind cladding and lining, as was usual in the past.

Canols staff hostel, Lenzerheide

Indigenous, renewable raw materials for structure

and energy supply
The Lenzerheide region has a communal heating
association that covers the space heating and hot water
requirements of residential buildings and businesses
centrally via a group heating network. The base and
peak loads are covered by two wood chippings-fired/
wood-gasification boilers with outputs of 2500 and

1600 kilowatts. An oil-fired boiler and two further

emergency boilers are available as backups and to bridge
maintenance times. The annual consumption of wood
chippings is 18000 standard cubic metres, which results
in a CO2-saving of 3000 tonnes compared with fossil
fuels. By using the group heating network solution,
Canols hostel, with a 62 kilowatt connection, saved the
cost of installing its own heating system and the asso-
ciated chimney plus the regular cleaning by a chimney
sweep. This construction project and its energy
supply policy fulfil the criteria for Switzerlands envisaged
2000-watt society. mwl

120

Client Avantimo AG, 9016 St Gallen, Switzerland, www.fortimo.ch

Architecture Lenz, Voneschen&Partner AG, 7078 Lenzerheide,
Switzerland, www.lv-p.ch
Project management Baumgartner Baurealisation AG, 9400 Rorschach,
Switzerland, www.bbrag.ch
Timber contractor Knzli Holz AG, 7260 Davos Dorf, Switzerland,
www.kuenzli-davos.ch
Timber&fire protection engineers Makiol+Wiederkehr,
5712 Beinwil am See, Switzerland, www.holzbauing.ch
HVAC/Sanitary consultants Vitali Haustechnik AG, 7078 Lenzerheide,
Switzerland, www.vitalihaustech.ch
Electrical engineers ARG Huder/Jon Caviezel AG, 7078 Lenzerheide,
Switzerland
No.of storeys 6
Floor area 309m
Volume 5550m
Construction period 8 months

A >>

Plan of 3rd floor (typical for all residential floors)

B >>

Plan of ground floor showing communal areas

Reference area for energy calculations 1850m

Costs SFr 5 million
Quantity of timber used 280m
Carbon (C) content 70t
Sequestered CO2 257t

The L-shaped service core contains the complete

ground floor and stairs/lift shaft and was built in
reinforced concrete to comply with fire protection
requirements.

C >>

D >>

Longitudinal section through staff hostel

3rd floor

Ground floor

121

Organic timber construction Wood, as a renewable

in an urban setting
material, was more than
ever a focus of attention at
the International Building
Exhibition (IBA) in Hamburg.
One defining structure
integrated this idea into
a post-modern architec-
tural setting.

123

The name says it all: Wlderhaus (Forest House). Inside

and outside, it keeps its promisewood, forest, and
an abundance of nature. The asymmetric form of this
striking building lends it an organic vitality; it is a
successful symbiosis of its usage, its materials, and its
design language. Each of the five floors of this 21 metre
high multifunctional building steps back to some degree.
There are three storeys in cross-laminated timber
(CLT) on top of two storeys in concrete. In his design, the
architect Andreas Heller heeded the maxim form
follows function. The leitmotif shaping the architecture
here was the forestjagged and layered, with the
set-back upper storeys reminiscent of the dynamic form
and differentiated structure of a roughly chopped tree
trunk. With its unusual outline and spatial diversity,
the Wlderhaus forms an imposing gateway to the new
Wilhelmsburg Island Park. Visitors are treated to seminar,
exhibition, restaurant, and hotel functions on almost
6000m of gross floor area under one roof. The client,
the forestry conservation charity Schutzgemeinschaft
Deutscher Wald e.V., uses the building as its new
headquarters, refinancing the cost of building by letting
the various functional units.

Larch wood facade and green roof
The facade is an outward demonstration of the fundamental theme of wood as a renewable raw material. The
curving block is clad in polygonal shiplap boarding made
of PEFC-certified, weather-resistant larch that takes
on a natural grey patina over time. Nesting boxes for
insects and birds have been incorporated in the timber
facade. There are also various recesses and boxes for

The highly diverse exterior of this building, with

polygonal shiplap boarding in larch giving the building
its style, reflects the sustainability concept behind
the design: a modern timber building with green roof
and renewable, zero-emissions energy supplies.

plants. Behind the parapet, plant tubs containing indig-

enous hornbeam trees provide an apt frame rounding
off the building at the top. Some 9500 trees and bushes
create a green roof densely planted with essentially
natural vegetationa breathing insulating layer that
keeps the building cool in summer and warm in winter.
In addition, the layer of plants insulates against external
noise to some extent. The plants also remove fine
particles and pollutants from the air and their growth
through photosynthesis optimises the CO footprint.

As not all of the rainwater is drained from the roof,
it can evaporate from the large area of vegetation
and thus cool the air and improve the microclimate. This
cooling effect also contributes to improving the output
of the photovoltaic installation on the roof. Photovoltaic
panels reach their optimum efficiency with a solar cell
temperature of about 25C. The energy yield drops by
about 0.33 to 0.5 per cent per degree Celsius rise in cell
temperature, which leads to losses during the summer
months, when yields should reach their maximum. Hot
weather causes the cell temperature to rise, and hence
its resistance as well, which reduces the electrical out-
put. The cooling effect of the green roof helps to ensure
that the photovoltaic panels remain within the range
of more efficient electricity production for longer.

Exhibitions, seminars, restaurant, and hotel
Science Center Wald forms the heart of the Wlderhaus. This permanent, hands-on, multimedia educational exhibition on two floors gives visitors the chance
to experience the forest as an ecosystem and habitat,
especially in the urban context. On the first floor, Forum

Wlderhaus, Hamburg

Wald has rooms available for events for up to 300 people:

a multifunction room for congresses and special exhi-
bitions plus three smaller seminar rooms. Together, they
constitute an integrated seminar, training, and conference facility for all kinds of educational events, not just
those concerned with the environment. The range of
services and offers is complemented by a restaurant on
the ground floor with regional and seasonal cuisine as
well as an eco-hotel with three-star-plus rating on the top
three floors. Here again, direct references to the forest
theme are a priority. The eighty-two rooms lined with
spruce have been named and themed according to
indigenous tree species. So every room has its own mini
exhibition and a ceiling-high branch from the respective
tree, e.g. common dogwood or weeping willow.

124

guarantee a ventilation cavity for the facade construction. The U-values of the external walls are: 0.15W/mK
for the second, third, and fourth floors (load-bearing
wall: CLT) and 0.18W/mK for the ground and first floors
(load-bearing wall: reinforced concrete).

Modular energy supply concept
The ideas of the highly insulated external envelope
with its solar-control glass in triple-glazed windows are
continued in the energy supply concept. A varied,
modular energy supply concept helps to achieve the
aim of a low-CO to CO-neutral system environ-
ment. The connection to the Wilhelmsburg group heating
network, which is fed from a nearby biogas-fired
combined heating and power plant (CHP), covers the
base load for space heating and hot water require
Three storeys in solid timber
ments. Peak loads, especially in the winter, are covered
To comply with fire protection requirements, the ground by the buildings own geothermal installation. The
floor, first floor, and service core with stairs and lifts are building is supported on 128 bored piles, 94 of which
in reinforced concrete. On top of that there are three
function as thermal piles. This is a ground source
storeys entirely in cross-laminated timber, including the heat pump system that uses heat exchangers integrated
load-bearing members. The wall and floor elements
in the concrete piles to remove heat from the ground
made of certified spruce sourced in Germany, Austria, using a thermal transfer fluid. A reversible heat pump
and Finland have been left exposed internally. Crosscompresses and uses this energy for space heating
laminated timber (CLT) panels are made of several
and producing hot water in winter, cooling in summer.
layers of planks with a 90-degree cross-banded lay-up
This type of building energy supply is especially
and can carry in-plane or out-of-plane loads. These
environmentally friendly and climate-neutral because
solid timber panels are especially suitable for load-bearing there are no emissions. In addition, the photovoltaic
functions because their cross-banded form makes
panels on the green roof generate more electricity than
them very stable and enables them to carry loads in the the heat pumps need. On the first two floors the heat
principal load-bearing direction and also transverse to it. is distributed via low-energy underfloor heating to
In addition, the solid timber elements have no voids and provide the necessary background heating and also via
so guarantee a safe structure in a standardised quality.
the ventilation. On the hotel floors (second, third, and
Prefabrication of the wall and floor elements enabled the fourth), the heat is distributed via the ventilation
timber construction phase on site to be completed
and the heated towel rails in the bathrooms. Some 80
quickly according to a detailed timetable and without
per cent of the light fittings contain economical LED
delays. The individual elements were lifted into position lamps; only in areas requiring permanent lighting have
quiet, with a crane before being bolted togetherclean energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps been inand dry operations. In the timber storeys, the wall
stalled. The public toilets make use of water-saving
construction with its ventilation cavity varies in thickness three-litre technology. Owing to the high natural insulating
between 70 and 150 centimetres according to the geo- effect of solid timber, the upper three storeys achieve
metrical configuration of the particular facade zone.
the passive-house energy standard.
From inside to outside, the walls consist of 135 millimetre
thick solid timber CLT panels with their joints sealed

A first for Hamburg building class 5
airtight, a vapour barrier, the prefabricated frame of solid The building services concept includes a mechanical,
structural timber sections, and twin-web beams with
individually controlled ventilation system with heat
an infill of 200 millimetre thick rock wool insulation
recovery. However, the windows can still be openeda
closed off with hardboard. The latter provides a base for concern that is expressed again and again in the age
the diffusion-permeable waterproof sheeting and at the of ever more airtight building envelopes. As the client
same time creates a water run-off layer. The facade
wanted to clad the building entirely in timber and leave
is finished with a framework of solid structural timber
wooden surfaces exposed on the inside, too, the
sections to which larch sheathing is attached. Together,
designers turned to what was then the new European
they create the geometry for the polygonal facade and design provisions (Eurocode) for the fire design. So

125

A Unthinkable

just a few years ago, but now a reality

and the symbol for a new, energy-efficient, and
climate-neutral form construction: the return of the
timber building to the urban environment.

B Woodthat ancient building material with its huge

variety and its special relationship with people
has returned to the urban setting in the shape of the
Wlderhaus.
C Urban

trend with integrated uses: hotel, seminar

centre, exhibition, and restaurant under one roof.

M=1:150

3. OG

Wlderhaus, Hamburg

Raphael Hotel Wlderhaus

126

B
3rd floor

M=1:150

1. OG

Science Center Wald

Clients
offices

Forum Wald (facilities for

events/seminars)

Hall for events

Seminar rooms
C
1st floor

A The

organic architecture theme of this hybrid

structure finds a logical continuation inside the
seminar and conference rooms.

Plan of 3rd floor

Plan of 1st floor

D The

computer graphic shows the geometrically

diverse form of the structure.

the Wlderhaus was the first structure in class 5 (>13m

high) of Hamburgs building regulations with an external
envelope and upper floors in timber. By applying the
Eurocode it was possible to use specific methods of
analysis to assess the structures behaviour in fire (rate
of combustion of the wood) and therefore verify
the necessary 90-minute (F90) fire resistance of the

load-bearing structure. In addition, it was possible to use

constructional measures to minimise the risk of a
fire spreading from one area of the facade to another.
Finally, exposed wooden surfaces inside the building
were finished with an intumescent paint and the entire
complex equipped with a sprinkler installation, as
is common practice in urban buildings internationally. mwl

127

Developer Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald, Landesverband

Hamburg e.V., 21109 Hamburg, Germany, www.sdw-hamburg.de
Architecture/Design Studio Andreas Heller GmbH Architects&Designers,
20457 Hamburg, Germany, www.andreas-heller.de
Timber contractor 1 Heinrich Haveloh GmbH, 48683 Ahaus-Alsttte,
Germany; (structural timber to 2nd, 3rd&4th floors, timber facade
to whole building), www.haveloh.de
Timber contractor 2 MetsWood Merk GmbH, 86551 Aichach, Germany
(fabrication of CLT elements for Heinrich Haveloh GmbH),
www.metsawood.com
Structural engineering Assmann Beraten+Planen GmbH, 22297 Hamburg,
Germany, www.assmann.info
Building services Schlter+Thomsen Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH&Co.KG,
24537 Neumnster, Germany, www.schlueterthomsen.de
Landscaping WES GmbH Landschaftsarchitektur, 22303 Hamburg,
Germany, www.wes-la.de
Fire protection HAHN Consult Ingenieurgesellschaft fr Tragwerksplanung
und Baulichen Brandschutz mbH, 22303 Hamburg, Germany,
www.hahn-consult.de
Size of plot 2130m
Area covered by building 1360m
Gross floor area 5910m
Gross volume 22490m
Costs 17 million
Quantity of timber used 1386m
Carbon (C) content 347t
Sequestered CO2 1273t

129

Sustainable building in
an urban environment

The worlds first multi-

storey, solid timber building
intended for an urban
setting was built at the
International Building
Exhibition (IBA) in Hamburg.
About 90 per cent of the
Woodcube is pure timber,
and neither surfaces
nor structure are hidden.

The timber buildings renaissance has reached our towns

and cities. When it comes to timber construction,
Hamburg has had little experience up to now. So this
new building opens up new opportunities provided by
the IBAs socio-ecological orientation. The 15 metre
high timber cube contains eight apartments with floor
areas between 70 and 190m on five storeys.

Stable structural connection
The Woodcube was constructed using the Austrian Thoma
Holz100 system of prefabricated wall, floor, and roof
elements. Owing to the high degree of prefabrication, it
was possible to erect the timber structural carcass
within four weeks. The solid timber elements were posi-
tioned on the basement around the central stair and
lift core (built in reinforced concrete to satisfy fire pro-
tection requirements and to brace the entire building).
Each element consists of four substantial layers of
boards made of spruce and fir. Various board layers are
laid horizontally, vertically, and diagonally either side of
a layer of 80 millimetres squared sections to form compact
building components. The 24 millimetre thick boards
are fixed with relatively dry beech dowels that, lightly
moistened, are pressed hydraulically into the layers
of boards. Afterwards, the dowels swell, tightening them
in the direction of the marginally more moist softwood.
Owing to the different moisture contents of the hardwood
dowels and the softwood boards, a stable structural
connection ensues throughout the entire component.

A new idea in post-modern urban planning
The idea of the Woodcube evolved out of an architectural
competition. The design by the Institut fr urbanen
Holzbau (IFUH, urban timber building institute), headed
by Philipp Koch, was selected to be built at the IBA in
Hamburg. Initiator and project developer Matthias Korff
took on this building project, which has resulted in the
first fully ecological, solid timber, five-storey structure.
He appointed Architekturagentur Stuttgart to modify
the original hybrid design and remove all foil, sheeting,
encapsulation, building chemicals, paints, glues, and
man-made insulating materials from the timber structure. Any risks to health and the environment due to
harmful substances in the construction were therefore
ruled out. The result is an almost revolutionary struc-
ture for an urban setting. The building, including all floors,
consists exclusively of untreated, dried, sawn, and
planed wood that has been left exposed internally and
externallya new idea in post-modern urban planning.

The Woodcube is the first multi-storey, solid timber

residential building designed for an urban environment
in which the timber surfaces and timber structure
are left exposed inside and outside.

Building with a single material
The walls to the Woodcube are 32 centimetres thick
(including a 3 centimetre thick layer of wood fibre insu-
lating board). Protected between two layers of boards,
the cellulose-based facade sheathing and wood fibre
insulating board ensure the necessary airtightness.
Weather-resistant facade cladding made of untreated
larch constitutes the external envelope. Narrow framing

Woodcube, Hamburg

behind this guarantees the obligatory ventilation. So

the entire building envelope to the Woodcube is made
of wood and wood fibres. This natural, untreated,
puristic form of construction deliberately avoids all adhe-
sives, nails, metal fasteners, foil, and plastic sheeting
in its wall and floor elements. By using just one single
material, wood, this building avoids the problems that
can occur in buildings employing more than one material,
e.g. mould growth, condensation, or errors at connections between the different materials of different trades.
But no metal at all is not quite possible: metal angles,
bolts, screws, and nails are required to fix the elements
to the ground floor slab.

130

Stationary layer of air
The Holz100 elements guarantee a high level of thermal
insulation. This is ensured by the naturally good insu-
lating properties of solid timber, with its low thermal
conductivity, but also by the air inclusions between the
individual layers of boards, which are created by cut-
ting small longitudinal grooves in the timber. Once the
grooved layers of wood are assembled to form solid
timber elements, the ends are sealed with a mixture of
natural oil and sawdust. The result is a stationary layer
of air that increases the insulating effect of the overall
element without increasing its weight. The Woodcubes
wall construction complies with the low-energy standard.
The thermal conductivity of the grooved layers of
boards is just 0.079W/mK compared with the 0.13W/mK
of softwood without groovesa record. The U-value
of the wall is 0.19W/mK. The solid floors and external
walls also guarantee structural stability.

One constructional feature demonstrates the oppor-
tunities of modern timber buildings: the 23 centimetre
thick suspended timber floors and the balcony floors
are one and the same element; it extends from the rein-
forced concrete core across the interior and passes
through the external walls, without forming a thermal
bridge, since timber has such a poor thermal conductivity.

As the loads are carried by the external walls, no
further columns or load-bearing walls are needed inside
the building, which means that floor layouts can be
designed to suit individual requirements. Therefore,
lightweight, metal-framed partitions filled with acoustic,
mineral insulation and finished with gypsum fibreboard
were chosen for the interior because they occupy
little space and can be moved around or even taken down
completely to suit changing interior requirements.

Holistic building philosophy
The Woodcube more or less reaches the passive-house
energy standard and is 22 per cent lower than the
requirements needed to qualify for funding under the

KfW40 energy-efficient house programme. It not only

takes account of the known funding criteria of Germanys
KfW development bank and the certification criteria of
the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), which
it fulfils easily, but also sets completely new standards
with its holistic building philosophy. The solid timber pro-
totype achieves a CO-neutral life cycle assessment
that is exemplary in terms of the closed process chain
evaluated in this instancefrom the production of all
materials used in the building to the construction process
itself and the buildings usage right up to deconstruc-
tion (including recycling). That essentially distinguishes
it from Germanys legally valid but not all-embracing
Energy Conservation Act, which only considers the energy
consumption of the building during its period of use.
The embodied (grey) energy required for producing,
transporting, and recycling the building materials remains
unconsidered. Matthias Korff did not want to limit his
evaluation in the same way. He appointed the ina
Planungsgesellschaft, a spin-off of Darmstadt Universitys
Design&Energy-Efficient Building Department, to
include all the importantyet unprescribedparameters
in the life cycle assessment of the Woodcube. The
analysis was carried out according to the stipulations
of the DGNB certification system. And the result shows
that both the construction and the operation of the
Woodcube are CO-neutral and free from pollutants.

Interior climate and healthy living
The cradle-to-cradle system behind the single-material,
unitised form of construction from Austria has earned
it a gold certificate from the Cradle to Cradle Products
Innovation Institute. In addition, the timber used is
sourced from sustainable forests and harvested in the
winter during a waning moon phase. The higher den-
sity and pest-resistance of this type of wood has been
confirmed by ETH Zurich. All the materials used in the
timber cube can be fully recycled, are biodegradable, and
are unobjectionable in building biology terms. The occu-
pants benefit from this as well as from the interior
climate, which in a solid timber building varies over the
ideal relative humidity range of thirty-five to fifty-five
per cent. This is because solid, untreated timber is diffusion-
permeable, i.e. it absorbs excess moisture from the air,
stores this and only releases it back into the interior air as
required, or discharges it outside in the event of saturation.

Throughout this building with 900m floor area, a
networked energy management system minimises and
optimises consumption and matches it to the behaviour
of individual users. For example, the heating, decen-
tralised ventilation with heat recovery and window blinds
are controlled automatically, even switched off completely when the occupants are absent for longer. The

131

A The

relative humidity inside a diffusion-permeable,

solid timber building varies between thirty-five and
fifty-five per centthe range in which human beings
feel comfortable.

B To

comply with fire protection requirements, the

lift and stairs core was built in reinforced concrete.

Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal

board layers for stability

Sheathing
(spruce/fir)

Wood fibre insulating board

Beech dowels connecting the

individual layers

Woodcube, Hamburg

132

3rd floor

A The

walls of the Woodcube, including 3 centimetre

thick wood fibre insulating boards, are 32 centimetres
thick and, with a U-value of 0.19W/mK, achieve
low-energy standard.

B Plan

of 3rd floor; the non-load-bearing lightweight

partitions can be repositioned, even completely
removed, to suit occupants needs.

C Section

through Woodcube

D The

high degree of prefabrication of the solid

timber floor elements enabled the structural timber
carcass to be erected in a short time and without
excessive noise or dust.
C

E The

air-filled grooves between the layers of boards

improve the insulating effect of the solid timber
elements without increasing their weight or volume.

F The

timber floor, wall and roof elements are

grouped around the central reinforced concrete stair
and lift core.

Load-bearing core
(vertical)

consumption figures of every individual energy consumer,

including lights, are logged in a terminal so that all
occupants know their electricity consumption and can
try to reduce this if necessary. Communal areas such
as basement, lobby, and stairs are illuminated with 1watt
LED lamps and the lift is fitted with a braking energy
recovery system.

regulations called for. However, a team from Darmstadt

University led by Prof.Karsten Tichelmann was appointed
by the developer to carry out their own fire tests to
prove that the solid timber structure does not require any
fire protection measures. The tests established that the
fire resistance of the solid timber elements is three
to five times longer than that of concrete or clay brick
structures. The 90 minute (F90) fire resistance (uninter
Fire protection requirements more than satisfied
rupted exposure at 1000C) required for building regu-
One intrinsic component in the philosophy of the Wood- lations class 4 was achieved without any problems;
cube is not encapsulating the wood or concealing it
indeed, the special prototype design even achieved F180
behind facades made of other materials or covering it
standardwhich could be a record. Therefore, the timber
with intumescent paint or installing expensive sprinklers.
elements in the Woodcube could remain uncovered,
And that was exactly what Hamburgs 1995 fire protection and sprinklers or intumescent paint were unnecessary. mwl

Developer Woodcube Hamburg GmbH, Hamburg (D),

www.woodcube-hamburg.de
Project development DeepGreen Development GmbH, 21109 Hamburg,
Germany, www.deepgreen-development.com
Design Institut fr urbanen Holzbau, 10963 Berlin, Germany, www.ifuh.org
Architecture Architekturagentur Stuttgart, 70176 Stuttgart, Germany,
www.architekturagentur.de
Timber contractor Erwin Thoma Holz GmbH, 5622 Goldegg, Austria,
www.thoma.at

133

Structural engineering Ingenieurbro Isenmann, 77716 Haslach, Germany,

www.isenmann-ingenieure.de
Building biology consultant Wilfried Schmidt/koplan,
78166 Donaueschingen, Germany, www.oeko-plan.de
Building services Inhaus GmbH, 47057 Duisburg, Germany,
www.inhaus-gmbh.de

Fire protection Tichelmann&Barillas TSB Ingenieurgesellschaft,

64285 Darmstadt, Germany, www.tsb-ing.de
Life cycle assessment ina Planungsgesellschaft mbH, 64283 Darmstadt,
Germany, www.i-na.de
Volume of building V=3430m
Surface area A=1474m
A/V ratio A/V=0.43
Usable floor area AN=998m
Transmission heat losses HT=0.246W/mK
Heating requirement Qh=18kWh/ma
Final energy requirement QE=39.3kWh/ma

Final energy QE=39200kWh/a

Primary energy requirement QP= 21.3kWh/ma
KfW 40 limiting value QP= 27.2kWh/ma (22 per cent lower)
Further features Ventilation system with heat recovery, Regenerative
district heating supply, Summertime thermal performance to DIN E 41082:2011-10, PLC bus cables free from PVC and halogens, Lift with braking
energy recovery, Photovoltaic installation, Centralised energy
management, Smart metering
Costs 2.6 million
Quantity of timber used 500m
Carbon content (C) 125t
Sequestered CO2 458t

p.136

p.144

Infill developments
and additional
storeys
c13
TM50

137

Timber building in Berlin

with urban sophistication

c13 is a seven-storey
timber building with three
interlinked blocks in Berlins
Prenzlauer Berg district.
The Berlin-based architects
Kaden und Partner were
responsible for the design.
The building brings together
many quality aspects,
including architecture,
structural engineering, infill
development, and building
a community.

The irregular facade design adheres to a modular

principle. Individual functional units are readily discernible,
e.g. large, rectangular windows alternate with small,
playful openings, which lend the building an obvious light-
ness that continues in the white walls of the building.

The narrow, elongated plot is framed by an old brick school

building on the left and a typical Grnderzeit building
on the right, whose side wing has a fire wall continuing
to the back of the plot. However, the new building has
not been built up against this wall as is normally the case
when closing gaps in the streetscape. This was because
the client, Stiftung fr Bildung.Werte.Leben, a foun-
dation dedicated to giving people a worthwhile perspective through education, had included light and trans-
parency as important aspects in the specification. So in
some places there is a gap of up to 5 metres between
the new building and the fire wall. That led to the forma-
tion of separate inner courtyards with diagonal views
which provide extra light gains in what would normally
be a completely closed side.

Offset oriel windows and lightwells
In their design, the architects make references to the
buildings of this area built during the Grnderzeit epoch
(18701920), but without succumbing to an unoriginal
historicism. Their c13 design succeeds in capturing the
historic building context but incorporating it in a
21st century design language. The oriel windows typical
of the sumptuous facades of the Grnderzeit period
usually begin at the first floor and continue uninterrupted to the roof. Here, however, they are featured in
the form of large modular windows projecting from
the facade but offset to left or right in each storey. This
interpretation of the oriel window has enabled the
architects to integrate and underscore the architecture
of the existing buildings while highlighting an urban
form of construction that does not seek to eschew the
significance of the past, but instead is able to supply
its own, vigorous statements.

Whereas the seven-storey front block makes use

of CLT, the blocks behind that, with four storeys in
the middle and five at the rear, are built of timber
panels; all the blocks on this deep plot rest on
a reinforced concrete basement garage.

Cross-laminated timber and timber panels
c13 consists of three blocks with different heights and
different forms of timber construction employing spruce
and fir. Whereas the seven-storey main block at the
front of the plot makes use of solid cross-laminated timber
(CLT), the blocks behind that, with four storeys in the
middle and five at the rear, are built of timber panels.
The load-bearing frame for the timber panels was supplied

c13, Berlin

complete with factory-fitted insulation and sheathing

on both sides for stability plus cavities for pipes and
cables. The stability of the whole building is ensured by
the internal and external timber walls. In addition, the
solid CLT walls even carry the loads of the external
reinforced concrete stairs/lift tower. Load-bearing timber-
concrete composite floors are used between the
apartments. These span between a grid of steel beams
on timber columns over the entire depth of the building
(45 metres). The suspended floors are made of edgefastened timber elements 14 centimetres deep plus
a 10 centimetre concrete topping. The wooden soffits of
light-coloured spruce have been left exposed and
create a pleasant atmosphere in the interior. The entire
timber structure is based on CAD-designed CLT, timber
panels, and timber-concrete elements prefabricated
with millimetre accuracy on modern machines.

138

displacing each other, is regarded by Prof.Schmid as

innovative from the structural engineering viewpoint. The
interlocking was developed by Swiss engineering con-
sultants Pirmin Jung and is based on cut-outs machined
in the underside of each CLT wall element, similar to
the notches in timber-concrete composite floors. These
cut-outs in the timber wall were filled with concrete
at the same time as concreting the composite floors.
This detail improved the connection between timber
wall and composite floor, as well as its stiffness, espe-
cially when compared with nailed connections.

CO sequestration instead of emissions
The walls to the seven-storey front block are up to
34 centimetres thick; from inside to outside they consist
of a double layer of 18 millimetre thick gypsum fibreboard attached to the load-bearing CLT elements with
thicknesses between 9.5 and 20 centimetres, followed

Timber building in Berlin building class 5
by a vapour barrier plus more gypsum fibreboard before
All the wall and floor components were delivered to the the layer of 10 centimetre thick mineral external wall
building site just in time and lifted into position by
insulation in board form with a high density of 70kg/m,
crane. Only the concrete topping to the timber-concrete which is then finished with a mineral render. In total,
composite floors was cast in situ to suit logistical and
the building envelope around the heated parts of the
constructional requirements. It took only three months
building has an average U-value of 0.534W/mK. A gas-
to erect the entire buildingand two months of that
fired boiler provides the heat for the low-energy
was due to interruptions to let the concrete cure. Where- underfloor heating on all floors and all the hot water
as the two timber panel blocks fall under building
requirements for this timber-based hybrid structure built
regulations class 4, the seven CLT storeys at the front
off a reinforced concrete basement with car parking.
are class 5 because of the total height of 22 metres.
Mechanical ventilation, aluminium sunblinds on the south
Class 5 is only for structures in which the load-bearing and side, and floor-to-ceiling triple-glazed wooden windows
bracing walls and columns comply with the F90-AB fire
in some areas round off the energy concept. A total
resistance requirements, i.e. upon exposure to fire, the
of 600m of timber was used for c13. That corresponds
stability or integrity of components must be guaranteed to a carbon content (and wood is 50 per cent carbon)
for at least 90 minutes. In order to take account of
of 150 tonnes, which results in CO sequestration amount-
the fire protection required for both types of timber con- ing to more than 550 tonnes. In total, c13 stores more
struction, the external walls, main columns, and the
CO than was given off during its construction.
CLT walls required for stability are encased in a double
layer of gypsum fibreboard to class K60. A fire detector
Revitalising the local community
system, external stairs, and reinforced concrete lift
This seven-storey building also makes its mark on the
shaft complete the fire protection concept.
urban surroundings by bringing together the existential
functions of living, working, leisure, and culture

Structural engineering from Switzerland
separated since the warunder one roof again. The
Architectural practice Kaden und Partner is the co-initiator alternating facade structures reflect the mixed usage
of a research project on tall timber residential buildings
(housing, counselling, healthcare). The attractive out-
in urban locations (3H: Holz-Hoch-Hausbau im urbanen line of this hybrid structure is inviting, augurs openness
Raum), which is headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volker Schmid and transparency, and makes us curious. Commu-
from Berlin Universitys Chair of Design of Composite
nication, working, and learning take place here; users
Structures, Institute of Structural Engineering. This project benefit from advice and therapy, can eat and relax
is concerned with the design and construction of
here, live heretogether. In addition, the foundation paid
timber-based buildings with up to twelve storeys. Inter- special attention to cross-generation, long-term
locking the CLT walls with the timber-concrete composite development. The educational work and family counselling
floors in c13, which increases the stiffness of the bracing based on Christian values plus support for young people
arrangement and also prevents the different materials
is organised with the coming three or four generations

A
Kaden_Klingbeil Architekten / C_13 / Grundriss 2.OG / M 1:200

2nd floor

Ground floor

Kaden_Klingbeil Architekten / C_13 / Grundriss EG / M 1:200

139

A The

holistic concept includes an occupational

therapy/physiotherapy surgery, which occupies about
60 per cent of the 2nd floor and is complemented
by a paediatric surgery at the front, street end of the
building.

B Whereas

the upper floors are reserved for apartments, the ground floor has commercial functions:
a restaurant bordering the street, the buildings own
events area in the middle and, shielded from the
road, a child daycare amenity with playground at the
rear, northern end.

C Fire protection can look good: external stairs and

lift shaft in reinforced concrete.
C

A This

infill development project in Berlin, architecturally attractive but also challenging, unites todays
timber construction options with current demands
for developing communities.

Physiotherapy
Occupational therapy
Apartments

B The

Apartment shared by students

Apartments

diversity of uses in c13 reunites the existential

functionsliving, working, leisure, education, and
culturethat had become separated in the 20th
century.

Studio

C Moving the new building clear of the neighbouring

fire wall in some places has resulted in additional
lightwells and outdoor seating areas instead of the
customary totally closed side to the building.

Family centre

Child daycare
amenity

Paediatrician
Co-working
Caf
Room for events

Midwife

141

in mind. The building of c13 enabled the foundation to

use architecture to demonstrate a view of sustainability
that matches the foundations own values. With owneroccupied and rented apartments, offices, an apartment
shared by students, child daycare amenity, midwifery
and paediatric surgery, physiotherapy/occupational
therapy centre, painting studio, the Kiezkche caf, a
seminar and event centre that can be hired out, family
counselling centre and so on, the multifunctionality
of the buildings usage turns it into the nucleus of a new
neighbourhood.

c13, Berlin

Small town in the big city
As the architect Tom Kaden explains, the small town in
the big city revives the spirit of rediscovered solidarity
and intermeshing of existential functions through a

142

vertical and horizontal mix. Everything is compact, diver-

sity has a capital D, the occupants are socially committed,
and caring is important again. The foundations prin-
ciple is holistic and understood as both a socio-economic
and socio-political signal that is intended to leave a
permanent mark on this neighbourhood. With their
integrated architecture and planning approach, Kaden
und Partner have assisted the creation of a new community and hence taken a stand against advancing
gentrification in whole city districts. Also in Prenzlauer
Berg, where a great deal of the former diversity in
terms of age structures, biographies, lifestyles, and jobs
has already given way to monetary dullness and social
monotony. It is now up to the people to unite the separate
functions and integrate them into a new social, urban
context of diversity that must be established. mwl

Client Stiftung fr Bildung.Werte.Leben, 10405 Berlin, Germany,

www.bildung-werte-leben.de
Architecture/Site supervision Kaden und Partner Architekten,
10178 Berlin, Germany, www.kadenundlager.de
General contractor, timber oa.sys baut GmbH, 6861 Alberschwende,
Austria, www.oa-sys.com
Structural engineering, timber Pirmin Jung Ingenieure fr Holzbau AG,
6026 Rain, Switzerland, www.pirminjung.ch
Building services (design&site supervision) Planungsbro Roth,
15344 Strausberg, Germany, www.pb-roth.de
Electrical engineers Planungsbro Marion Fabis, 14532 Kleinmachnow,
Germany, www.pb-fabis.de
Fire protection Dehne, Kruse Brandschutzingenieure GmbH&Co.KG,
38518 Gifhorn, Germany, www.kd-brandschutz.de
Gross floor area 2820m
Net developed area 2514m
Usable floor area, commercial 1640m
Usable floor area, residential 930m
Area of plot 900m
Site occupancy index 0.63
Plot ratio 3.1
Transmission heat losses during heating period QT 9597kWh/a
Ventilation heat losses during heating period QV 1578kWh/a
Internal heat gains during heating period Qi 3936kWh/a
Passive solar heat gains during heating period Qs 6496kWh/a
Primary energy requirement (actual building value) 358.1kWh (ma)
Building costs, groups 3+4, net approx.1550/m residential floor area
Building costs, total 7 million
Quantity of timber used 600m
Carbon (C) content 150t
Sequestered CO2 550t

A This

timber building with its healthy interior

climate makes skilful use of light and transparency.

B The relationship between the timber parts (brown)

and the concrete parts (grey) shows how and where
timber can achieve much more efficient use of
resources in construction.
C A

grid of steel beams on timber columns covers

the full 45 metre depth of the building.

143
A

B
C

Bild noch nicht in Litho

Litho: Haus begradigen

144

145

Europes biggest
additional storey project
in timber

An extra storey has been

added to a former production and office building in
Nuremberg. This huge task
the floor area was bigger
than a football pitchwas
completed in just five
months thanks to modern
timber construction.

During the 1970s the Quelle Group expanded its operations

by building two production buildings and an office wing,
with a total floor area of about 25000m, in the southern
part of Nuremberg. Business was flourishing for Foto
Quelle and so the mail-order group ensured that the
structural design of the industrial complex, equipped
with one of the most modern and largest photo labo-
ratories in Europe, could cope with up to three additional
storeys. But it wasnt to be. The bottom dropped out of
the analogue photography market. Following a period
when the complex stood empty, it was then bought by a
property developer. The former brownfield site has been
modernised, converted, and extended upwards in three
construction phases. The abbreviation TM50 (ThomasMann-Strae 50) now stands for the successful conversion
of a former commercial site. It has been turned into a
modern service and administration centre with attractive
office and production facilities, retailing, and restaurants
employing contemporary architecture.

to increase the value of the existing building stock, which

is often refurbished at the same time. Besides, iden-
tifying new areas for development is expensive and the
numerous constraints, e.g. retaining open areas and
clearances to existing buildings, seriously restrict the
options. Further, it is also important to stop uncontrolled (sub)urban sprawl and ground sealing. On top of
that, with higher densities, more companies and more
people can use the expensive transport and services infra-
structures, which in the end results in a lower con-
sumption of energy and resources per head of population.
In addition, high-density developments result in lower
follow-up costs for the upkeep of infrastructure elements
than is the case with low-density structures. Finally,
the areas of greenery so crucial for a high quality of life
remain intact.

Prefabrication and fast progress on site
In the sensitive surroundings of high-density city districts
and commercial zones, building sites represent a major

Vertical infill developments in growing conurbations challenge for businesses, residents, and building con-
Although population figures are stagnating, even
tractors alike. All those involved should be integrated
declining, conurbations are growing incessantly. Land
into the planned construction project at an early stage
for building in urban areas is becoming scarcer and
in order to prevent disruptions and delays during con-
more expensive. Research and discussions among experts struction. Another factor that needs to be taken into
have come to the conclusion that besides the general
account is rent rebates, which have to be added to the
increase in the density of development, infill developbuilding costs if the construction work is considered to con-
ments, i.e. building on sites already developed, is just as stitute an unreasonable nuisance. Therefore, reducing
realistic as it is desirable from the urban planning
the construction phase to a minimum is of prime impor-
viewpoint. Infill developments do not require precious
tance. Computer-controlled, fully automatic CNC machining
building plots in order to erect the buildings so urgently results in highly accurate factory-produced timber ele-
needed for homes and businesses, but instead tend
ments. The high degree of prefabrication, with virtually

Harmony between all aspects of design and

construction is typical of a 21st century timber
architecture that integrates the existing con-
crete structure and at the same time produces
a self-confident, distinct architectural vocabulary.

TM50, Nuremberg
146

all components delivered to site just in time and

complete with insulation, channels for pipes and cables
plus door and window openings, ensures that work on
site is less dependent on the weather and that realistic
timetables can be drawn up. Although modern engi-
neered timber construction requires more elaborate
planning, it still requires only about half the time on site
compared with conventional forms of construction.

Another advantage is that adding more storeys in
timber involves comparatively low levels of dust and
noise. The components are positioned exactly with a
crane and fixed immediately. The rapid progress on site
is quite obvious to others, too, which increases the
acceptance and tolerance among the local population.
Along with this there is the fact that the extra storey
can be used as efficiently as possible in order to create
the maximum floor area. By incorporating the insulating
layer in the load-bearing layer, it is possible to design
thinner wall cross-sections with the same insulation
value than would be the case with purely mineral forms
of construction. That means larger lettable units can
be realised on the same plan area. Furthermore, the
weight advantage of extra storeys and extensions
in lightweight timber construction can be exploited
because the loads on the existing load-bearing structure
are lower than would be the case for designs using
much heavier steel, concrete, or masonry, which in turn
minimises the costs.

Extension with building still in use
The challenge for the timber contractor, HU-Holzunion,
was to add the third floor as smoothly and quickly
as possible, because the companies on the lower floors
had to be able to continue working undisturbed. This
monumental extra storey project in timber, with a plan
area of about 5000m, was completed in just five
months, from early October 2014 to late February 2015.
Owing to the size of this additional storey, 74102
metres, HU-Holzunion, a joint venture between several
independent timber contractors set up specially for
such large construction projects, has effectively proved
that timber construction, which is characterised by
small and mid-size businesses, can also play a vital
role in large-scale building projects when skills are
amalgamated. This consortium of four (now five) timber
contractors made it possible to develop the diverse
separate elements in large batches simultaneously at
several locations and deliver them on time and ready
to erect. The project included about 80 trusses 11.80
metres long (connected with punched metal-plate fas-
teners), 80 floor elements measuring 2.6011.70
metres and 180 roof elements with a maximum size of
312.50 metres.

Complex big site management
This project comprised the energy-efficiency upgrade
of the mineral building envelope to the ground and first
floors using suspended timber elements, mostly fin-
ished with a mineral render facade, plus the construction
of an additional storey using a timber frame and
cross-laminated timber (CLT). In some places the new
storey has a ceiling height of 7 metres and so includes
a mezzanine floor. Whereas the Taglieber company
was responsible for prefabricating the timber-frame
walls, including integral wood/aluminium windows,
Cordes Holzbau provided the glued laminated timber
columns and the trusses with their rigid corner connections as well as the floor and roof elements. The CLT
elements for the double towers were prefabricated by
Stora Enso, and the Karl Hoffmeister carpentry shop
measured up the Eternit facades (relevant for fire pro-
tection) on site, cut them to size in the shop with a
special saw, and then erected them on site. The coordination of the diverse tasks called for a strict site
management normally called for on big sites in order
to guarantee functioning site logistics right up to the
delivery of the prefabricated elements in accordance
with the timetable.

Striking roof form and lightwells
The eastern part of the additional storey consists of five
blocks. These are positioned offset, with the projecting
segments extending the five existing double towers
with stairs and lifts on the north and south sides of the
building. The ends of the blocks are distinctive and
appear to be monopitch roofs at first sight. However,
closer inspection reveals them to be very shallow duo-
pitch roofs with their eaves above the double towers.
From there, each roof continues down the double tower
facadelooking like a set of five clamps over the
building. On the eastern block the roof continues down
the facade, thenin the form of a horizontal canopy
at half heightmeanders two-thirds of the way along
the east side before dropping vertically to the ground.
This stylistic element guides visitors to the main entrance.
Between the five pitched roofs on the blocks there are
eight lower interconnecting sections with flat roofs.
The five main blocks and these eight lower sections sur-
round four spacious internal courtyards that allow
daylight to reach 55 metres deep into the building. Parts
of the old precast concrete floors were removed for
this purpose.

The roof ridges mark the points where the double
towers begin. The positions of the double towers
alternate between the north (three towers) and south
(two towers) elevations. This asymmetry and the offset
blocks ensure an eye-catching appearance for the

The section illustrates the structure of the TM50

with its five raised blocks and four intervening
courtyards.

The plan of the 2nd floor shows the grid and the
magnitude of the additional storeys, which were
finished with a mineral render facade on a wood fibre
insulating board background.

C The internal courtyards chiselled out of the

concrete building allow daylight to reach the interior
of the voluminous TM50 so that offices can be
positioned where otherwise only dark storage areas
would have been possible.

The large conference room for the Federal

Employment Agency demonstrates timber construction by way of exposed glulam columns, the acoustic
ceiling lined in silver fir, and the CLT wall in spruce.

147
B

TM50, Nuremberg
148

TM50, whose shallow pitched roofs comprise a kind of

fifth facade to round off the complex. The sculpted roof
form, finished with grey synthetic waterproofing (roof
surfaces) and black EPDM foil (vertical signboards), brings
this industrial utility building of the 1970s into the
21st century with its flexible services and modern infor-
mation technologies. The timber refurbishment and
additional storey break up the originally rigid form of
the building without denying its origins. The transition
from the secondary to the tertiary and quaternary sectors
of the economy takes place smoothly. The new has
been built on the old, the timber top on the mineral base.
The architecture, materials, and concept of the TM50
reflect the social changes in the nature of employment
and the changes in building culture; the pure pragmatism
of the past, expressed in mineral form, contrasting
with timbers efficient use of resources, load-carrying
capacity, and beauty. This is visible at several places: on
the walls to the internal courtyards (in the form of ver-
tical larch cladding), on the parapets between the blocks
(rhombus-shaped larch battens), and on the soffits to
the roof overhangs (larch three-ply core plywood).

(connected with punched metal-plate fasteners) with

different depths at a spacing of 2.70 metres which are
supported on glulam columns. The trusses and columns
have connection details that create a rigid frame and
thus guarantee the buildings stability in the transverse
direction. In addition, the posts connect to the timberframe walls, which terminate at the underside of the
trusses. The gables, which contribute to the stability of
the building and are assembled from cold-wall (=with
ventilation cavity) elements, are supported on these.
The suspended floor elements (solid structural timber
joists with exposed OSB soffit and filled with blown
cellulose insulation) are supported on the bottom chords
of the trusses, which have laminated veneer lumber
(LVL) nibs on both sides for this purpose. The roof ele-
ments (in the form of hinged purlins every 83 centimetres,
with tongue and groove boards on top and three-ply
core plywood soffits to the roof overhang) were likewise
prefabricated and are laid on top of the trusses.
With the additional storey, the height to the eaves is
14.95 metres, and the highest point on the gables is
16.60 metres above the ground.

Trusses supported on glulam columns
The three apparently identical middle blocks had to
accommodate the differences in the mineral substructure,
partly due to isolating joints across the building.
Therefore, the sizes of the individual elements and the
glulam trusses are different for each of these three
blocks. The tapering roof overhang is not exactly the
same size, either.

The roofs to the double towers are made of a
CLT assembly with insulation above the rafters. The roof
overhangs, up to 2.50 metres long, are made of
prefabricated cantilevering purlin elements that are
screwed to a CLT frame. On the underside they are clad
with cross-banded three-ply core plywood and on
the top there is a sheathing of tongue and groove boards.
The unitised, load-bearing roof structure traces the
existing 10.80 metre grid and consists of trusses

Geothermal, zero-emissions energy supply
The heating and cooling systems in the TM50 building
achieve zero emissions on the basis of shallow geothermal
energy. An array of borehole heat exchangers (BHEs)
about 100 metres deep has been installed on a grid. The
dual-circuit thermoactive components connected to
these heat the building in winter and cool it in summer.
Heat is extracted from the ground via the BHEs in the
winter, which cools the ground at the same time. This
cooling effect is exploited in the following summer, when
heat from the building flows back into the ground ready
for the next winter. This self-recharging, seasonal
energy storage concept covers the base heating/cooling
load for the TM50 over the whole year.

Whereas on the existing floors the energy was
supplied via underfloor heating and radiant ceiling panels,
only the latter is required in the new storey. mwl

The five blocks with their intervening lightwells

reflect the process of change from rational block
architecture to a more open architectural language.

A >>

Competitive advantages through a consortium of

small and mid-size businesses: prefabrication of
large batches on time thanks to parallel production
at several locations

B >>

Adding a storey also means that the energy and

raw materials embodied in the existing, mineral
building can be used for further decades with the
help of timber.

C >>

The load-bearing structure for the additional

storey was erected with maximum precision and
maximum speed.

D >>

Client BGB Gesellschaft Helmut Schmelzer GmbH, Nuremberg,

Germany, www.tm50.de
Architecture DXV Architektur, Nuremberg, Germany,
www.dxv-architektur.com
Project management Projektsteuerung Hberlein, Feuchtwangen,
Germany, www.projektsteuerung-haeberlein.de
Timber contractor HU-Holzunion GmbH, Rotenburg (Wmme)/Oettingen,
Germany, www.holzunion.com
Structural engineering, carcass Trafektum GbR, Nuremberg, Germany,
www.trafektum.de
Structural engineering, timber Hussler Ingenieure GmbH, Kempten,
Germany, www.haeussler-ingenieure.com
149

Fire protection Ulm Ingenieurgesellschaft , Erlangen, Germany,

www.ulm-ig.org
Quantity surveyor Vermessungsbro Robert Ziegler, Nuremberg,
Germany, www.vermziegler.de
Building services Ingenieurteam Plansache GmbH, Nuremberg,
Germany, www.it-plansache.de
Thermal insulation Werkhaus Architekten, Nuremberg, Germany
Building physics Wolfgang Sorge Ingenieurbro, Nuremberg, Germany,
www.ifbsorge.de
Geothermal consultant CDM Smith Consult GmbH, Nuremberg,
Germany, www.cdmsmith.com
Floor area 15800m
Volume of building 75000m
Primary usable floor area, new&converted areas (1st&2nd floors/offices)
5200m

Primary usable floor area, existing (ground floor/commercial) 4850m

Area covered by building 6400m
External areas 4600m
Building category building regulations class 5
Annual primary energy requirement 106.18kWh (ma)
Transmission heat losses 0.486W/mK
Start on site (structural carcass/demolition) April 2014
Start on site (timber construction) October 2014
Completion (timber) February 2015
Final completion August 2015
Costs 16 million
Quantity of timber used 1550m
Carbon (C) content 387t
CO sequestration 1420t

p.152

p.158

p.164

p.170

p.176

Special structures
Wooden church
Overmeyer
organic farm
Viewing tower,
Pyramidenkogel
Wildlife overpass
Airport expansion

153

Solid timber cross-insquare church

Wooden churches are

usually relics of the distant
past. In the Rhn Mountains,
however, an industrially
prefabricated, unitised
form of timber construction
has been used to build a
new church for the Skete of
St Spyridon, a community
of Serbian Orthodox monks.

This wooden church serves as a spiritual centre for a

monastery designed as a self-sufficient hermitage. In
the light of the growing numbers of monks, pilgrims,
and others visiting the skete, especially on Sundays and
feast days, the client, the Serbian Orthodox Church,
was unable to offer them all enough space. The new rural
location, previously the site of an old mill, was chosen
intentionally to take up the reference to nature and
extend it to the timber church structure, surrounded by
meadows with old fruit trees, as a quiet place for con-
templative reflection. The church, which was funded
entirely from donations, forms the centre of the community
of monks. It is modelled on the historic monastic church
at Gradac in Serbia, which dates from the late 13th cen-
tury. Nevertheless, it differs fundamentally from that
stone structure in that the new church has been built in
solid timber over a reinforced concrete basement (which
contains rooms for the heating plant and sanitary
facilities). Furthermore, the design and decoration also
include elements of Romanesque sacred buildings.
The architect Norman Heimbrodt masterminded the
development of the concept, likewise the detailed design
and construction. He introduced the Serbian Orthodox
Church to the idea of using solid timber, which was
unusual to them, studied the original in Serbia and
implemented the knowledge gained there together with
the carpenters and timber design engineers from
contractor Herrmann Massivholzhaus.

Industrial production
The industrially manufactured MHM solid timber wall
system was used for this church. The invention is based
on the many years of experience of a Bavarian manufacturer of precision machinery for the international wood-
working industry. Owing to the companys excellent
insight into the sawmill sector, they recognised that the
less-sought-after side boards resulting from the con-
version process could be used to produce industrially
prefabricated solid timber modules and hence solid
timber buildings. Further development of existing wood-
working machinery enabled simple softwood boards
obtained locally to be turned into complete wall elements
in serial production on semi-automatic production
linesand without the use of chemical additives or adhe-
sives. First, the timber is dried to a residual moisture
content of about 15 per cent, which makes it dimen-
sionally stable and resistant to pests. The next step
involves cutting grooves in the boards during planing to
a constant thickness of 23 millimetres. In the final wall
system, the grooves retain air, which improves the
already excellent insulating properties of the solid timber
even further without increasing its weight or volume.

The design of the ecclesiastical timber architecture

was based on the traditions of old master-builders in
accordance with the golden section principle.

Stationary layer of air
Next, the layers of boards are pressed together in a cross-
banded lay-up. Small, diagonal aluminium pins fasten
the individual layers together, which ensures high strength
within each system element. Assembling the wall
panels in this way rules out any subsequent settlement,

Wooden church, Eiterfeld-Unterrufhausen

154

swelling, and shrinkage of the wood. Finally, the computer-

controlled plant cuts the solid timber components to
size with millimetre precision, also cutting openings for
doors and windows and channels for pipes and cables.

Despite the industrial prefabrication, all the advantages
of solid timber forms of construction, the building ecol-
ogy, environmental hygiene, and interior climate, for
instance, are retained. The modules are diffusion-permeable, dry, stable, and load-bearing; they exhibit good
sorption, heat storage, and thermal insulation proper-
ties, and they consume little energy during production.

As a final operation, a mortar mix made from wax,
sunflower oil, and sawdust is spread over the ends and
joints of the solid timber elements. The mortar protects
the wall components against moisture and seals off
the grooves, which guarantees the stationary layer of
air needed to optimise the thermal insulation. The MHM
system thus achieves a thermal conductivity of
0.0943W/mK, whereas pure softwood without a stationary layer of air only manages a value of 0.13W/mK.

A cruciform ground plan
The architecture of the solid timber church is governed
by the central square naos, the equivalent of the
crossing in traditional Western church architecture, which
boasts an area of 64m. The plan form of the singlenave church is that of a cross, with the nave being
longer than the chancel and the transepts being lower
and smaller in area. The underlying principle here is the
style of Byzantine churches, which has characterised the
buildings of the Orthodox Church since the 9th century.
Four smaller areas aligned with the main points of the
compass join up with the crossing, where nave and
transept meet. The chancel with the three apses behind
faces east. The crossing is roofed over by a large 5.2tonne
dome, the top of which is 14.60 metres above floor
level. It is this dome that gives the church its distinctive
external appearance and is also responsible for the
name of this type of ecclesiastical structurethe cross-
in-square church. The apparently round dome is based
on an octagon on top of an ellipsis. In this arrangement
only two surfaces make contact with an imaginary

Wood fibre insulating board as background for render circle, while the other surfaces form the elliptical opening,
Owing to its monolithic, precise, solid timber compo-
which presented the timber contractor with a construcsition, the industrial production system offers abovetion challenge. The dome is made up of thirty-two curved
average sound insulation and fire protection. In addition, glued laminated timber ribs and four three-pin frames.
the diffusion-permeable, single-material nature of
The crossing is in turn bordered and supported by two
the building also prevents heat losses due to thermal
large round arches in glued laminated timber, whereas
bridges. Further advantages of the computer-con-
the two smaller arches are made from MHM elements.
trolled production are the accuracy of fit and the time- Standing seam zinc sheets have been used for the
savings. From the ground slab upwards, the construction, roof finish to the dome. Each zinc sheet was turned up
including the roof structure, could be carried out exactly along the sides and placed directly alongside the next
as planned. The elements were lifted into place with
one. The bent-up edges were joined with a single fold.
a crane and immediately screwed together. It took only
Golden sectionunion of symmetry and asymmetry
fourteen working days to erect the structural carcass for
Round windows and also large arches (up to a maximum
the church. All load-bearing internal and external walls
dimension governed by the machinery) can be cut in
for the church are made of 34 centimetre thick MHM
MHM system elements. One of the factors limiting the
elements (only the partitions in the small caretakers
size is the maximum panel dimensions that can be
flat are 11.5 centimetres thick). This is the maximum
machined (36m).
thickness feasible with the MHM system. The fifteen
The construction of this church required an efficient
layers of boards have a theoretical U-value of 0.239W/mK
correlation between the structural requirements and the
and do not require any additional insulation. The
10 centimetre thick wood fibre insulating boards attached prefabrication options available for the timber elements.
One outcome of that was the use of 24millimetre thick
on the outside function as a background for the render,
plywood strips let into the timber at the joints to ensure
which increases the visual mass of the walls. A mineral
the longitudinal stability of the central nave. The three
render system was then applied, making the external
walls almost 50 centimetres thick. The layer of wood fibre apses are made of several mitre-cut solid timber elements
that together create a semicircle. Likewise, their domeinsulation boards constitutes extra insulation, so the
church has a highly insulating, compact building envelope. like lean-to roofs are made up of many small flat seg-
ments formed by hip rafters and 28 millimetre thick tongue
Inside the church, the wooden surfaces were left
and groove sheathing. The round arch windows in the
exposed only temporarily. In keeping with Orthodox
apses could not be fabricated completely on the MHM
traditions, historic frescoes were painted on the
walls, applied directly to a multi-coat lime plaster (on machines because they extend over three elements. A small
part of each window therefore had to be cut manually.
a mineral board background) while it was still wet.

155

A The

solid timber Serbian Orthodox Church is

built on a gentle slope over a reinforced concrete
basement.

B The CAD-assisted design and factory-prefabrication

of modern engineered timber construction mean that
operations that in the past required many hours of
manual work can now be carried out in a short time
with maximum precision.

In his design for this cross-in-square church, architect

Norman Heimbrodt adhered to the proportions of the
golden section. This design principle known since ancient
times can be understood as integrity in disparity. It is
not about the symmetry of the individual parts within
the framework of a dualistic observation. The dimensions
are related in that the ratio between the smaller com-
ponent and the larger one is exactly the same as that
between the larger component and the whole. Symmetry
is not achieved on the singular level of the equivalence
of the individual parts and forms, but on the level of the
unity and equivalence of the proportions.

Wooden church, Eiterfeld-Unterrufhausen

Departing from the dictates of the right angle
Underlying this principle is the knowledge that overall
symmetry is able to integrate individual asymmetries.

The credibility of individual components that are

asymmetric with other individual components is con-
firmed by considering the success of the churchs
architecture as a whole. Only the whole is consummate,
and this ratio of proportions is perceived by human
beings as harmonious and coherent. Therefore, the side
aisles of the church are partly asymmetric about the
dome, likewise some wall/floor junctions, which the carpenter constructed with rising wall plates, are not at
an angle of 90. Furthermore, the nave is not exactly in
line with the axis of the crossing, which means that
the main axis of the church is at a slight angle. Departing
from the dictates of the right angle, a device employed
by the master-builders of the past, too, introduces a
subtle movement into the church which is reflected in
a play of light and grandeur. mwl

156

157

Client Gesellschaft zur Frderung der orthodoxen Spiritualitt e.V. (GFOS

e.V. Geilnau), Eiterfeld-Unterufhausen, Germany, www.spyridon-skite.de
Architecture Norman Heimbrodt Architekt, Hnfeld, Germany,
www.heimbrodt.com

Timber contractor Herrmann Massivholzhaus GmbH, Geisa, Germany,

www.herrmann-massivholzhaus.de
Glulam round arches W.u.J.Derix GmbH&Co., Niederkrchten, Germany;
Poppensieker&Derix GmbH&Co.KG, Westerkappeln, Germany,
www.derix.de

A The

timber structural carcass to the cross-in-square

church, which is finished with a mineral render, was
erected in just fourteen days.

B Good

to know: the grooved layers of boards sealed

with a special mortar mix trap a layer of stationary
air within the component, which increases the insu-
lating effect of each MHM element.

C The plan form of the single-nave church is that of

a cross, with the nave being longer than the chancel
and the transepts being lower and smaller in area.
D The

prototype: the single-nave monastic church

at Gradac in Serbia, built around 1270, is based on
Byzantine architecture and decorated with Romanesque
and Gothic elements.

Structural calculations/Load-bearing structure Basement:

Dipl.-Ing.Jrgen Held, Hnfeld, Germany; Timber structure:
Dipl.-Ing.Christian Heil, Knzell, Germany, www.heil-bsb.de
Reinforced concrete basement Aventa-Nord GmbH, Sittensen, Germany,
www.aventa-nord.de
Church windows Schreinerei Hartmut Both, Tann, Germany,
www.both-wintergarten.de
Render Ampora Wrmedmmung GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany
Usable floor area 532m
Enclosed volume 2766m
Costs, basement+timber structural carcass 600000
Quantity of timber used 300m
Carbon (C) content 75t
CO sequestration 275t

New farmyard evokes old The innovative farmyard

covered market traditions design of Overmeyer
organic farm in Seevetal
south of Hamburg is a new
highlight among the
communities in the flat
countryside. The diversity of
the materials and design
has resulted in a successful
symbiosis of ecological
timber construction and
organic agriculture.

159

Throughout Europe, farms being abandoned or turned

into housing have been the general trend for many
decades. Building completely new farms, and in undeveloped areas, too, has never figured on the agenda
until now. The client, a married couple, had been
successfully running an organic farm and shop under a
lease agreement since 1995. However, rebuilding was
the only way of dealing fully with the different needs
and demands of contemporary organic farming operations,
including on-farm processing and direct marketing.
With twenty-one permanent staff and thirteen others
on so-called mini-job contracts, it was the economic
importance of this farm for this rural region that helped
to secure approval for a construction project in an
undeveloped area through a change in the land-use plan.

Village-type character
The farmers themselves organised an architectural
competition, which led to an urban/open land concept
that is based on the rural, four-sided farmyard style
seen widely throughout Central Europe. In this historic
farmyard form, the farmhouse and outbuildings are all
separate structures arranged opposite each other
around a large open area; they create a kind of selfsufficient little village.

The farmyard draws its animated character from the

interplay of materials and surfaces, form, and design.

An open form was chosen for this organic farm to increase

the appeal for visitorsseveral hundred every day. In
addition, the arrangement of the various buildings on
this greenfield site should create a distinct settlementtype character counteracting the sense of being lost
in the broad landscape. To prevent this framework from
appearing too rigid, the buildings were not placed at
exactly 90 degrees to each other, as was usual with
such farms in the past. All four buildingsfarmhouse,
market hall with shop and on-farm processing, barn,
stables, and henhousesare reached from the central
yard. The balance between proximity and open space
is successful. With all the agricultural buildings in sight,
they fuse together again what the subdivision of work
in modern businesses has torn apart: living, working,
leisure, production, on-farm processing and direct sales
to consumers, and, of course, self-sufficiency.

Building without disturbing farm operations
The whole complex has been built with modern prefabricated timber-frame and timber-panel elements, which
were ready supplied with facade sheathing and different external cladding solutions. Being not far away, the
Hamburg-based architectural practice Scaven Htz
was appointed to take charge of design and site super-
vision. Although BeL Soziett fr Architektur in Cologne

Overmeyer organic farm, Seevetal

160
B

A True

to the historical farmyard form, the farmhouse

and outbuildings are grouped around a large open
area that serves as a central distribution zone and
as a place to meet and talk.

B The successful interaction between design concept

and landscape architecture formed the foundation
for the highly diverse yet stylish realisation of this
organic farm.
C
C The farm shop revives the spirit of old covered
markets and exploits transparency to show what it
has to offer.
D Readily

visible here is the timber and steel

load-bearing structure to the three-bay shop and
on-farm processing area.

E+F The

village-type character of the four-sided

farmyard blends harmoniously into the flat landscape.
The buildings are not at 90 to each other, which helps
integration into the mature, scattered structure of
the farms of this region.

G The

central farmyard surrounded by farmhouse,

barn, stables, henhouses, and shop blends seamlessly
into the surrounding landscape of fields and reveals
the direct connection with organic agriculture.

161

Overmeyer organic farm, Seevetal

was responsible for producing drawings for approval and

also some of the fabrication drawings, most of the
working drawings were produced by Scaven Htz, with
the architects also introducing new elements into the
internal and external design. Time was a crucial factor
for the client when choosing the type of timber construction, as the new buildings had to be integrated without
disturbing daily farming operations. Wood, as a renewable material, was a favourite with the organic farmers
anyway. What also convinced them was the fact that the
high degree of prefabrication in the individual timber
components enabled construction phases to be planned
exactly, with a total construction time that could be
realistically calculated. It is the heterogeneous appearance
of the group of buildings, distinguished by their different
surface finishes, that impresses the observer.

162

ageing-resistant material insulates the buildings against

the soil without any thermal bridges, and also provides
a drainage function. The timber frames for the farmyard
buildings are made of solid structural timber sections
and, like the roof elements, are insulated with an
ecological, blown insulation made of recycled cellulose
fibres. The stability of the external frames is ensured
by 15 millimetre OSB (external wall) or 25 millimetre OSB
(shop roof) sheathing on the inside. The organic farmyard complies with fire resistance class F30. To achieve
this, steel components were coated with an intumescent paint. The walls (U-value=0.17W/mK) made of
timber-frame elements comply with the fire resistance
requirements by using the following construction:
15 millimetre OSB and gypsum fire-resistant boards (GKF)
on the inside, followed by insulated, 24 centimetre
thick studs and rails finished on the outside with an

Interplay of facades and surfaces
18 millimetre thick wood fibre insulating board. The soffits
Timber facades in various forms have been combined
of the roof elements are made of 25 millimetre
with facing brickwork that integrates local building
thick OSB and are left exposed, whereas 15 millimetre
traditions and at the same time makes a subtle contrast thick MDF boards are used on top. Only the internal wall
with the wooden surfaces. The interplay between the
of the storeroom had to meet F90-B fire resistance
horizontal and vertical timber finishes generates an
requirements, which was achieved with a double layer
organic vitality that reflects its fertile agriculture origins. of 15 millimetre gypsum fibreboard on both sides.
At the farmhouse, the cladding is in the form of hori-
zontal rhombus-shaped battens made of weather-

Load-bearing structures in timber and steel
resistant Siberian larch in various thicknesses. The farm The heart of this vegetable farm, the 500m shop for
shop, however, has rhombus-shaped battens made
organic produce, with its adjacent area for on-farm proc-
of European larch, and the storerooms directly alongside essing, the living room with fireplace, sofas, dining
are different again, with two different types of larch
tables, and a panoramic view over the fields, storerooms,
facade: ranch-style shiplap boarding made of waney-
and cold store, reminds the observer of the traditions
edged, debarked planks, whose rough texture is not the of old covered markets. Each of the three bays making
only thing that gives this finish a Wild West look, and,
up the pitched roof to this mixed-use building spans
around the cold store, vertical, sawn boards in different 8.75 metres and has a roof pitch of 30 degrees. The
widths which were attached with gaps and maintain
primary structure has been left exposed. It consists of
the reference to nature and the native soil. This diversity trussed steel rafters supported on steel circular hollow
continues in the roof covering. Whereas the two-storey
section columns internally and reinforced concrete
shop/office wing is finished with reddish brown clay
columns incorporated into the external timber-frame walls.
roof tiles, the storeroom has a monopitch green roof
The concrete columns are also responsible for the
planted with essentially natural forms of vegetation and buildings stability. Along the wall separating the shop
the shop for organic produce has a roof of metal trap-
from the storerooms, the steel trusses are supported
ezoidal profile sheets. And the farmhouse has bothclay on timber columns within the timber wall. The simply
tiles and green roof. These variations lend the small
supported purlin roof elements are connected to the
village character of the organic farm a constant dynamic steel trusses via timber plates bolted to the trusses.
impulse that encourages and reflects the natural change
On the ground floor there is the shop, a plant room,
of things. Development has been understood for what
storerooms, the on-farm processing area, and a WC for
it is: a constant process. Architecture and agriculture
customers. The upper floor, with offices and staff amen-
speak one and the same language here.
ities, is formed by a structure of glued laminated timber
beams, which are left exposed and supported on and

Cellular glass granulate and cellulose insulation
braced by two reinforced concrete columns in the shop
None of the buildings has a basement and so the ground below. Contrasting with this, the ground and suspended
floor slabs were founded on a load-bearing layer of
floors to the two-part, two-storey barn were built in
recycled cellular glass granulate. This relatively lightweight, reinforced concrete, whereas the upper floor and walls

to the timber-frame building are exposed, carpentrystyle assemblies. The compact house for the clients
family is not unlike a North American farmhouse. The south
side has a porch that, with the roof overhanging a
generous 2 metres, provides an outdoor seating area
that can be used regardless of the weather.

processing plus three cold stores. Together, they supply

the necessary heat energy. A heat exchanger extracts this
energy from the condenser and feeds it to two interim
storage units, each with a capacity of 1500 litres. From
there the energy is fed to the underfloor heating systems
in the house, the shop, and the on-farm processing
area. Such heating systems require only a low flow tem-

Heat from the refrigeration system
perature of 30 to 35C. Only the office area has individually
The space heating and hot water systems for the building controlled radiators. In addition, in the house, the internal
are based on a multi-stage concept. The base load is
walls of which are finished with an ecological, natural
covered by recovering waste heat from the refrigeration loam plaster in some places, there is a central wood-fired
system, which runs all year round. There are 20 metres
stove with an output of 6 kW which can also be used for
of multi-deck display chillers and refrigerated counters cooking and baking. A gas-fired condensing boiler is avail-
in the shop, a 2 metre long cold counter for the on-farm able as a backup and to cover peak loads in the winter. mwl

163
Client Overmeyer GbR, 21218 Seevetal OT Emmelndorf, Germany,
www.overmeyer-landbaukultur.de
Architecture, HOAI service phases IIV BeL Soziett fr Architektur BDA,
50672 Cologne, Germany, www.bel.cx
A

Architecture, HOAI service phases VIX Scaven Htz Architekt,

21079 Hamburg, Germany, www.scavenhuetz.de
Timber contractor for shop, on-farm processing area, storerooms, barn
Holzbau Cordes, 21079 Hamburg, Germany, www.cordes-holzbau.de
Timber contractor for house, stables Meisterkollektiv, 21224 Rosengarten,
Germany, www.meister-kollektiv.de
Structural engineering, HOAI service phases IIV Ingenieurbro Jrgen
Bernhardt, 50668 Cologne, Germany
Structural engineering, calculations: Dr Mller&Oberhokamp Beratende
Ingenieure im Bauwesen, 32657; Lemgo, Germany, www.statik-owl.de
Urban planning concept&landscape architecture Urban Catalyst Studio,
12435 Berlin, Germany, www.urbancatalyst-studio.de; BeL Soziett fr
Architektur BDA, 50672 Cologne, Germany
Strategic development Gnther van Ravenzwaay, 21218 Seevetal,
Germany; Urban Catalyst Studio, 12435 Berlin, Germany

Interior architecture, shop Architekturpraxis Anja Herold, 12159 Berlin,

Germany, www.architekturpraxis.com
House 290m

farmhouse is clad in horizontal rhombus-shaped

battens made from weather-resistant Siberian larch
in various thicknesses of 27 to 40 millimetres. They
were attached with gaps of up to 10 millimetres which
emphasise the organic timber construction.

Barn 465m

B What

Quantity of timber used 207m

A The

was once thought of as a model on the way

out returns here in the form of a high-quality, striking
timber design: a family farm with a real identity
which attracts people who care about what they buy.

Stables+henhouses 185m
Shop 513m
Costs 3.5 million

Carbon (C) content 52t

Sequestered CO2 190t

Viewing tower on the

Pyramidenkogel

Since June 2013 there has

been a 100 metre high
viewing tower overlooking
the Wrthersee, a lake in
Carinthia, Austria. The tower
on top of the Pyramiden-
kogel has a load-bearing
structure of steel and timber
and is currently the tallest
of its kind in the world.
Although its geometry is
based on just four numbers,
the design and fabrication
of the members still needed
considerable creative
skill besides engineering
expertise.

Until it was demolished in October 2012, a 54 metre

high reinforced concrete viewing and broadcasting
tower, built in 1968, occupied the site. Construction of
the new tower took only eight months, which meant
Keutschach local authority could open their new tourist
attraction in June 2013. Difficult ownership issues,
changing circumstances for tourism and the poor state
of the old tower led to the decision to replace it. The
desire for a contemporary, innovative solution was a
priority of the architectural competition organised in 2007.
The competition rules also stipulated the use of timber
an indigenous, ecologically sustainable, and at the same
time innovative building material. Furthermore, the
architectural design of the tower had to be unique and
satisfy the latest demands for tourist attractions.

The vision: an accessible sculpture
Right from the start, the team that eventually won the
competition wanted to create an accessible sculpture
open on all sides. It had to be interesting to look at from
all directions, but the design should not be based on
a circle. The idea of a geometrically generated envelope
based on an elliptical plan proved to be the right approach.
The result is a sculpture that winds itself skywards,
offset about its centre by a certain dimension each time,
creating an organic, seemingly almost feminine form.

The tower structure that grew from this basic idea
consists of sixteen single-curvature columns made of larch
glued laminated timber. The column bases are set out
radially on an elliptical plan, their axes pointing towards
the centre of the tower. Ten elliptical steel rings, which
are rotated clockwise through 22.5 degrees every

165

Together with the antenna, the new viewing tower

a graceful steel-and-timber structureis 100 metres
high. The highest viewing platform is at 70.40
metres. From here, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking
view of Carinthias lakes and mountains.

Viewing tower, Pyramidenkogel, Keutschach am See

166

6.40 metres vertically, and eighty diagonal braces

stabilise the helical structure as it rises from the ground.

This project called for close collaboration between
the architects and the structural engineers. During
the various steps of the preliminary design, the construc-
tion considerations and the geometrical requirements
were gradually harmonised so that a series of identical
members in a structured global arrangement could
be developed from the envelope according to mathe-
matical principles.

The structural engineers made use of a graphic
idea to solve this. They imagined the twisted volume
extruded from an ellipse as a cake which, starting from
its centre (all the centres of the ellipses are positioned
vertically above each other), is divided into equal-sized
pieces. The ensuing curved edges along the backs of
the pieces of cake generate lines with a defined geometry.
Columns could be positioned at these points to follow
this line exactly. Consequently, the column structure would
not have to follow the twisting envelope, but instead
could be designed as a group of single-curvature columns
seemingly clinging to the envelope.

Four numbers to describe the design
The geometry of the design could now be described by
four numbers: the minor and major axes of the ellipse
(R1=10m, R2=17.30m), the number of columns (n=16)
as with a spoked wheel, the angle between the spokes,
and hence the angle of rotation of the columns (whose
axes all point towards the centre), is given (360/16=22.5)
and the vertical spacing of the ellipses (6.40m). Using
these figures it was possible to build a wire mesh model
from which all the other dimensions could be derived.

Iterative convergence on the numerical model
The structural engineers employed a 3D framework design
programme. The main challenge here was applying real-
istic wind loads to a non-rotationally symmetric structure.
The basis for this was a climate report produced special-
ly for this structure on this site. This resulted in a mean
wind speed of 25m/s at a height of 10 metres and
a maximum two-second gust speed of 38m/s.

The engineers considered the effects of these wind
loads on their framework from eight wind directions
and attempted to estimate the preliminary deformations
realistically for their calculations according to secondorder theory. Using the ensuing member dimensions,
specialists then carried out wind tunnel tests on a 1:75
scale 3D model with wind flows from those same eight
directions in order to check the assumptions and calcu-
lations. The differences between the results were
analysed and the framework model modified in such a
way that the numerical model and the tests agreed.

The design of the column cross-sections
In every case the highest loads on the columns were on
the minor ellipse radii. As the tower twists, so these
migrate to the most slender positions. As the column
loads decrease from bottom to top, the loads governing
the design of the column cross-sections occur right
at the bottom, between the pinned bases and the first
ellipse apexes.

To keep the construction uniform, all the columns have
a constant cross-section measuring 32144cm. However,
depending on the structural requirements, different
glulam strength grades are used: GL28c, GL28h, and GL32h.

Steel members for stability
The stability of the twisting tower structure is guaranteed
by the ten ellipses, which are fitted between the columns
as curved steel box segments, with rigid connections
to the columns, and eighty diagonal braces made of steel
circular hollow sections. The bracing is only required in
areas with higher stresses, i.e. in the areas of the minor
ellipse radii, which means that four diagonals are
installed here each time. Basically, there are eight long
trusses that run diagonally from top to bottom.

Detailed design and prefabrication with

millimetre precision
The timber contractor had to work to very tight tolerances
during the detailed design of the timber structure and
when preparing CNC drawings for the machining work.
To ensure optimum load transfer, the H-shaped steel
components and bolts with internal threads were glued
into the timber sections with epoxy resin. The timber
engineers developed an exact 3D computer model that
included all geometries plus all cut-outs for connecting
plates and other fasteners. The model formed the basis for
the CNC machining of all timber and steel components.

Dividing the 65 metre high columns into three
partstwo pieces 26 metres long plus one 13 metres long
also evolved out of the structural engineers erection
concept. Contrasting with what an observer might
believe at first glance, the sixteen columns are not all
different; instead, the simple symmetrical design
means every column occurs twice, i.e. there are only
eight different column types. However, dividing the
columns into three unequal parts resulted in forty-eight
separate pieces (thirty-two long and sixteen short
segments), which were, indeed, all unique.

Phased column erection
Phase one of the erection concept involved erecting
alternate long (26m) and short (13m) column segments
so that as work proceeded upwards, each higher column
segment could be used to assist erection.

167

A Underlying

idea: imagine a stack of elliptical cards

twisted over its height.

B An

isometric view of the 3D framework with the

different stress states of the glulam cross-sections
shown in different colours. Red indicates the highest
stresses.
E

C Horizontal

section through the tower at 38.86 metres

showing the elliptical levels below, each one turned
through the same angle. All column axes point
towards the centre.

D+E Thanks to exactly designed details and perfect

CNC machining for assembly, all connectors
were able to be installed exactly and all components
joined together, without force, on site.
F Cut-outs

in the timber were machined accurately

with just 5 millimetre play. Once the steel components
were fitted in place, this gap was filled with epoxy
resin.
F

Viewing tower, Pyramidenkogel, Keutschach am See

The bottom column segments were guyed back until all

the bottommost segments and the steel sections
forming the first two ellipses with their diagonal bracing
had been erected to form a stable structure. Owing to
the height, guying was not possible during the two sub-
sequent erection phases. However, the alternating
long/short arrangement allowed the column segments
of the next erection phaseinvolving exclusively long
segmentsto be braced against the neighbouring, higher
segments in each case. During the final column erection
phase, long and short column segments were again
erected alternately on the existing column sections below
so that in the end all columns were the same height.

cross-section and declare this as an enclosing or protective

layer around the load-bearing core. The timber structure
itself is therefore only loaded to 70 per cent of its capacity.

All connections between the glulam columns and
elliptical elements and diagonal bracing include a gap
so that no moisture can collect and the connections
can dry out at all times. As the fasteners are glued into
the timber, this results in a type of sealing that prevents water entering the timber and further protects the
wood. The downward bevels at the joints between the
column segments also help to ensure that the connections
remain dry.

The authorities also required a sound fire protection
concept for the tower. In the event of a fire, the stabil-

Fifty-year design life and sound fire protection
ity of the tower must be guaranteed until all persons

concept
have been evacuated. At the same time, fire and smoke
The tower is designed to last fifty years. Protecting the
should not spread to such an extent that escaping
timber was therefore a key topic for the structural
safely from the tower becomes impossible. The strucengineers even at the draft design stage. Details at the tural requirements guarantee a fire resistance of
connections were designed bearing in mind optimum
90 minutes. Two escape stairs are provided. Fire and
protection for the timber.
smoke compartmentation prevents the spread of

Although Eurocode 5 does not permit the building of fire. If required, 300m of extinguishing water can be
timber structures with glued joints which are exposed
sprayed via the sprinkler installation. In addition there
to the weather (service class 3), the structural engineers is a lightning protection system, emergency lighting,
were able to comply with the code by adding a 15millimetre emergency power supply, emergency lift, fire detectors
allowance to the dimensions required for the column
and alarms plus CCTV installed throughout the tower. sjf

168

A Zip-like

erection concept

B The

Skybox just below 57.60 metres is protected

from the weather. The actual structure is 64 metres
high. However, above that there are two open viewing
platforms each 3.20 metres high.

C Alternating short and long column segments in

the first erection phase. The different lengths enabled
the subsequent erection phases to continue similarly
so that the higher column sections could be used
to stabilise the other sections as they were erected.

Project Timber viewing tower on Pyramidenkogel mountain

in Keutschach am See (Carinthia), Austria
Form of construction Engineered timber-and-steel structure

169

Construction period October 2012 to June 2013

(including two months for tower structure)
Costs approx.8 million (excl.tax)
Gross floor area 700m
Client Pyramidenkogel Infrastruktur GmbH&Co.KG, 9020 Klagenfurt,
Austria, www.pyramidenkogel-ktn.at
Project management Kastner ZT-GmbH, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria,
www.kastner-zt.eu

Architecture Klaura+Kaden+Partner ZT GmbH, 9020 Klagenfurt,

Austria; Architect Mag. Markus Klaura, www.klaura.at,; Architect Mag.
Dietmar Kaden, www.kaden.cc,; Architect Dipl.-Ing.Erich Laure,
www.arch-laure.at
Structural engineering Lackner&Raml ZT GmbH
Dipl.-Ing.Markus Lackner, 9500 Villach, Austria, www.lackner-raml.at
Structural checking services Cration Holz GmbH, 9101 Herisau,
Switzerland, www.creation-holz.ch, and Rubner Holzbau GmbH,
3200 Ober-Grafendorf, Austria, www.rubner.com
Wind tunnel tests Wacker Ingenieure, 75217 Birkenfeld, Germany,
www.wacker-ingenieure.de
Timber contractor (fabrication drawings&production)
Rubner Holzbau GmbH, 3200 Ober-Grafendorf (Villach branch),
and 9584 Finkenstein, Austria (project management+erection),
www.rubner.com
Steelwork contractor (fabrication drawings&production)
Zeman&Co GmbH, 1120 Vienna, Austria, www.zeman-stahl.com
Quantity of timber used 600m
Carbon (C) content 150t
Sequestered CO2 550t

Further information Time-lapse film of tower construction:

http://tinyurl.com/k6j3fru
C

Somethings moving!

Germanys second wildlife

overpass in timberover
the B101 trunk road near
Luckenwaldehas been in
place since 2012. Its design
is based on a tried-andtested pilot project dating
from 2004, the wildlife
crossing over the B96 trunk
road. This bridge could
become a model for others
that are to be built right
across the country to
reconnect natural habitats.

Besides the two motorways, the A9 and the A13, the

B101 trunk road is the most important link between Berlin
and southern Brandenburg. To promote economic
development in the towns and communities of this area,
trunk and rural roads fill in the gaps between the widely
spaced motorways. The section of the B101 between
Luckenwalde and the motorway junction at Ludwigsfelde
was widened to four lanes to help channel traffic flows.
And a wildlife overpass has crossed the carriageway at
Luckenwalde since August 2012.

and the roadbuilding authorities in the meantime agree

that many more safe crossings must be built to reunite
natural habitats.

171

Timberthe future norm?
Most of the wildlife overpasses built so far in Germany
have used concrete or steel-concrete composite
construction; only two overpasses are in timber, with
a third one approved just recently. One of those overpasses, completed in 2004, is at Wilmshagen, southeast of Stralsund, and crosses the B96, the main road to

Wildlife crossings protect people and animals
the Island of Rgen. For a long time it was Germanys
Wildlife overpasses are soil-covered, landscaped struc- and perhaps the worldsonly wildlife overpass in timber.
tures that wild animals, especially deer and boars, can
The other overpass has been in use since the summer
use to cross roads safely. They ensure that when roads
of 2012 on the B101 at Luckenwalde. It is based on the
slice through natural habitats, wild animals, which follow design principles of the first overpass. After being in use
certain routes to their mating grounds in other territories,
for several years, these principles have proved their worth.
are not cut off from those areas. Without safe crossing
Both structures were developed and supervised by
places, wild animals crossing roads represent a very
DEGES (Deutsche Einheit Fernstraenplanungs- und
serious danger for road users and the animals themselves. -bau GmbH) on behalf of the national government and

Considering the many accidents involving wild ani- the federal states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
mals and the associated fatalities, nature conservationists and Brandenburg.

Saving lives: the wildlife crossing over the B101 trunk

road is the second timber bridge in Germany built to
enable wild animals to cross a busy road.

Composition of wildlife overpass:

- RSM 7.2.2 standard seed mixture
- 30cm topsoil
- 15cm mineral substrate (crest only)
- Coarse soil to ZTVE-StB 09 directive
- Distribution plate
- Geogrid
- Stainless steel mesh to protect against rodents
- Separating membrane (filter) made from rotproof polyethylene
- Drainage blanket
- Separating membrane (filter) made from rotproof polyethylene
- Protective and drainage layer
- Root barrier with protective layer, bitumen-resistant, rhizome-resistant,
FLL-approved, slate granules to top side
- Felt-torched polymer-modified bitumen sheeting, 2 layers
- Separating membrane (filter) made from rotproof polyethylene
- Felt-torched polymer-modified bitumen sheeting
- Inertol bonding coat
- 14.2cm CLT
- 20100cm glulam arch, grade GL28h, larch, e=80cm

10

20

A Computer graphic of the primary structure in

timber on concrete abutments in the form of strip
footings
B The

panels between the final vertical arch and

the sloping portal arch were completed with arch
segments and transverse members.

C Longitudinal
D Plan
E Section
E

section

173

The remarkable thing about this second wildlife overpass

average, but this can be reduced to 40 metres for
was the requirement to build it in timbera request
a constricted crest section.
from the local council which reached DEGES via the Infra- Particular attention should be paid to planting, visual
structure&Agriculture Ministry responsible. The council
screening, noise control, and safety fences. Light
had heard about the pilot project in Wilmshagen and
and sound barriers should be at least 2 metres high
was impressed by the synthesis of function, form, and
and broaden out like wing walls on both sides of
material achieved for the first time in that project.
the bridge.
Vegetation along the fences and on the overpass

Timber triumphs when comparing different versions
itself depends on the depths needed for the roots.
In advance of the tender, DEGES drew up a comparison
At the crest the soil covering and potential root
between a reinforced concrete frame and a three-pin arch
depth should be about 50 centimetres. This quickly
in timber, with the following outcome: For technical,
becomes considerably deeper as we approach
functional and economic reasons, a timber design is to
the abutments.
be preferred.

Besides the aspects of construction, costs, and design,
The archthe optimum structure
it was primarily the fast erection that favoured timber,
As with the first wildlife overpass, the designers opted
as the bridge had to be built over a busy road. Wood
for a three-pin arch of larch glued laminated timber
also has two other advantages: any structural components for the main structure to this new, almost 40 metre long
damaged by fire are relatively easy to replace and the
crossing (grade GL28h; edge beam: GL24h). But consame is true for any mechanical damage to the structure trasting with the first crossing, the design does not employ
caused by road accidents. Further arguments in favour
the classical compression arch with a single radius, but
of timber were its better life cycle assessment and the a three-centred arch with radii of R1=9.55metres,
landscaping effect of this renewable building material.
R2=19.35metres, and R3=33.50 metres. In this type of

The good durability of the pilot project in Wilms-
arch the curvature increases towards the abutments.
hagen also convinced the decision-makers, despite the
That is an advantage for the clearance needed for road
slightly higher cost of maintenance when compared
traffic and for the flow of forces in the structure.
with concrete. One piece of evidence came from an exam-
The 100cm deep20cm wide glulam arch members
ination of the woods moisture content in October 2011:
span about 32 metres with a maximum headroom of
at a depth of 4 centimetres the moisture content
7.50 metres. Steel hinges at the abutments and the ridge
was between 13.4 and 15.3 per cent, which complies with form the structural system. Spaced at 80 centimetres
service class 2 to DIN 1052.
centre-to-centre, the row of arches forms a sort of tunnel.

Therefore, DEGES could draw up the design for the

At the portals the arches lean inwards at 45 degrees.
new wildlife crossing similarly to the first one and issue The panels behind the portal arches are closed off with
a pan-European tender.
appropriate arch segments and transverse members.
Inclining the portal arches at this angle results in good

Wildlife overpasses must be designed differently
illumination in the tube and also enables the con-

to road bridges
struction of stable embankments.
The main difference between a wildlife overpass and

Curved cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels
a road bridge is the lower imposed loads for the former. 142 millimetres thick form the secondary structure. These
However, they can be designed for vehicle loads as
panels cover the arches and are fixed to them from
well in isolated cases. The design guidelines vary to suit above with countersunk-head stainless steel screws. The
the different uses. The specific provisions that must
plate effect of this sheathing stabilises the entire
be considered when designing wildlife crossings are
system in the transverse direction. The curved shell also
as follows:
carries the load of the soil (up to about 130kN/m) and
The crossing must be located on one of the main
transfers it to the arches.
routes used by the animals. This requires appropriate
studies to be undertaken unless special maps are

Erection from centre of structure outwards
already available.
Once the reinforced concrete foundations and substruc The shape of the land must be such that it is accepted ture plus all anchorage points had been completed,
by the wild animals as a crossing.
the erection of the entire prefabricated timber structure
According to the recommendations published in
took just four daysspread over two weekends. The
Germany for wildlife crossings, the usable width on
busy B101 was therefore closed completely for only a
the crest of the bridge should be 50 metres on
very short time. Further work on the crossing was carried

Wildlife overpass, Luckenwalde

out with traffic flowing, with just single carriageways

having to be cordoned off temporarily.

For stability, also during transport and erection, pairs
of half-frames were joined with 100centimetre deep
20centimetre wide struts (b=24cm, or 28cm behind the
portal arches) using continuous threaded bars to form
pairs of half-arches. Erection proceeded outwards from
the centre of the structure using four mobile cranes.
Opposite pairs of half-arches were first attached to the
abutments and then lowered to meet at the ridge.

The CLT panels were curved to fit the different curva-
ture of the glulam arches exactly depending on their
position on the arch. The infill members behind the portal
arches were also factory-prefabricated. However, the
Accoya wood cladding to those arches was attached on
site. The cladding includes several inspection hatches
so that the condition of the structure underneath can
be checked at any time.

One special feature is the edge detail around the
portal with beams measuring 4040cm, which are in
double curvature owing to the angle of the portal arches.

build-up of water, ingenious construction measures to

control moisture and a root barrier. Continuous moisture
monitoring ensures that any leaks can be tackled
immediately.

The timber structure was given a coat of clear varnish,
which also protects against water splashed up from
the road. However, the natural ventilation ensures that
splashing water dries out quickly and so protects against
changing moisture levels caused by passing traffic.
Splashes of de-icing salt even have a preservative effect.

Absolutely crucial: protection against moisture
To protect against moisture, special, multi-layer waterproofing consisting of felt-torched bitumen sheeting
was laid on the CLT shell. This is supplemented by
drainage along the line of the springings to prevent a

Soil-covered timber structure
Once the structure was finished, the whole area was
covered in soil ready for planting grass, shrubs, and
bushes; some 70 centimetres of soil were tipped on the
crest, 7 metres above the abutments. The designers
have provided 2 metre high light and sound barriers on
the structure and along the B101.

When it comes to wildlife overpasses, the dead load
of the structure plays a subsidiary role compared with
pedestrian and road bridges, although even here, timber
offers advantages, e.g. the low load on the subsoil.

Timber bridge-building has developed very positively
over the past ten years and renders possible the
construction of durable bridges. Wildlife overpasses
in timber offer the chance of combining ecological
goals with good looks. sjf

174

A The

special waterproof finish was applied on site.

The edge beam in double curvature is readily visible
in this photo.

B The

Accoya wood cladding to the portal arches

was also attached on site.

C Four mobile cranes were used to erect the pairs

of half-arches.
D The

half-arches were first attached to the abutments and then lowered into position for connection
at the ridge to form a complete arch.

E The designers established that the most economic

structure would be a barrel vault of three-centred
arches in glulam combined with a decking of cross-
laminated timber as the secondary structure. This is
the shortest path for transferring loads from the
covering of soil to the abutments.

Project Wildlife overpass in timber near Luckenwalde

Form of construction Soil-covered arch structure made of larch
glulam, with CLT sheathing and special multi-layer waterproofing;
reinforced concrete foundations and abutments
Construction period, substructure 5 weeks per abutment side
Construction period, superstructure February to October 2012
(incl. prefabrication of timber arches, earthworks, and light and sound
barriers)
Completed 2012
175

Costs 3 million, made up of 300000 for concrete works (foundations,

abutments) and 2.7 million for timber structure, soil covering, and
protective screens
Client DEGESDeutsche Einheit Fernstraenplanungs- und -bau GmbH,
10117 Berlin, Germany, www.deges.de, on behalf of the national
government and the federal states of Brandenburg and MecklenburgWestern Pomerania
Structural engineering Schwesig+Lindschulte GmbH, 18055 Rostock,
Germany, www.lindschulte.de
Checking engineers Bla&Eberhart, 76227 Karlsruhe, Germany,
www.ing-bue.de
Timber works, project management&construction Schaffitzel Holzindustrie GmbH+Co.KG, 74523 Schwbisch Hall, Germany,
www.schaffitzel.de; Schaffitzel+Miebach, Faszination Brcken GmbH,
53797 Lohmar, Germany, www.schaffitzel-miebach.com
Concrete works (foundations, abutments) ARIKON/DIW consortium
Quantity of timber used approx.680m
Carbon (C) content 170t
Sequestered CO2 623t

Length (of tunnel) at crest 38.90m

Span between abutments 32m
Crossing area 1245m
Larch glulam, GL28h approx.506m
Larch glulam, GL24h approx.13.5m
Spruce CLT approx.1820m (or approx.158.44m)
Accoya facade sections approx.100m
Steel components approx.70.5t
Reinforced concrete (foundations) 1060m
Light and sound barriers approx.680m
Earthworks approx.27000m
E

177

Oslo International Airport

sets new standards

A new terminal and pier

have been added to the
major international airport
serving Norways capital.
The architecture to passivehouse standard with load-
bearing structures made
of glued laminated timber
with exceptional dimen-
sions and designs is just as
pioneering as the energy
concept, which uses snow
for cooling!

More than 6billion euros are to be invested in the expansion

and modernisation of Norways airport infrastructure
by 2029, with about 1.7 billion euros of that being spent
on Oslo International Airport. The expansion project will
enable the airports annual capacity to be raised from the
current figure of 24.2 million passengers to 28 million.
Important aspects for the architects and planning team
were ensuring that the overall airport upgrade, consisting of several individual projects, could be accomplished
without interfering with each other, without interrupting
airport operations, and completed on time, with pas-
senger numbers already increasing steadily. This economic
factor was the main reason behind the decision to use
modern timber construction with a high degree of
prefabrication for many parts of the expansion project.

commercial factors from the current 10800m to about

20000m. The construction project comprises the
modernisation and modification of the internal and exter-
nal circulation routes plus the erection of three large
buildings: a new inter-city railway station, a second
terminal with arrival and check-in areas, and a third pier
with eleven additional jet bridges. As Norway now
prefers to use the renewable raw material wood for
public-sector building projects, the roof structures to
the three buildings will be or were built using glued
laminated timber, whereas the roof to the new Pir Nord
will be clad with Swedish oak slats.

Zero-tolerance quality standard
Glued laminated timber (glulam) is made from thin lami-
nations joined lengthwise with glued structural finger

Duty-free shops as economic factor
joints. The individual laminations are stacked and fastened
The constant growth in numbers of passengers even during together with adhesive over their whole area under
the expansion phase is expected to lead to an increase
high pressure to form compact building components. Indi-
in revenue amounting to about 500 millioneurosa figure vidual laminations can be bent prior to joining with
that must be secured. Duty-free shops, restaurants, cafs, adhesive, which enables the fabrication of curved beams.
and parking charges are responsible for much of this

The highly advanced technical development enables
increase in the airports revenue. The expansion project great lengths and large cross-sections to be produced
will double the space available for these high-yield
with essentially unlimited forms, which makes glulam

How Oslo International Airport will look after

the current expansion works are completed
in April 2017, with the second terminal (right
of centre) and additional pier (foreground).

SENTRALBYGNING VEST OG PIR VEST, KORTSNITT AKSE 37+5M

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72101

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E21 23.09.13

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Utgiver

Airport expansion, Oslo

DISIPLIN: ARK
FIRMA: NORDIC Office of Architecture

178

PIR NORD, FASADE NORD

A Section

through new Sentralbygg Vest terminal

B Section

through new Pir Nord

C Aircraft and architecture consummated in a

structural, functional, and artistic form: the wing-
like glulam beams to the new terminal cantilever
beyond the building envelope

72101

Fag

AA

beams ideal for the long spans of single-storey sheds

and bridges. The prefabrication of the glulam beams with
millimetre precision for Oslo Airport had to meet the
very highest quality standards and be produced and
delivered on time according to a so-called zero-tolerance
policy that had been prescribed by the client. One out-
come of that policy was the need for large production
buildings so that work could continue regardless of the
weather. That was a key criterion for the award of the
contract, which the German company W.u.J.Derix/
Poppensieker&Derix was able to fulfil. They subsequently
supplied the load-bearing structures for the airport
made of FSC- or PEFC-approved wood. This glued lami-
nated timber company has two plants and two production
lines that can process components up to 65 metres long
a figure that could well be a record, not only in Europe.

179

Accurate and on time
The glulam beams were produced in a fully automated,
computer-controlled design and fabrication process.
The design data from the timber engineers 3D design
programme were sent directly to the CNC production lines
with their laser technology. All the machining of the
glued laminated timber, including longitudinal, diagonal,
and mitre cuts, drilling, and machining of contours at
all angles, takes place on the CNC production lines. Even
large cross-sections can be fabricated in one process
on the highly accurate, five-axis machines, which can carry
out three-dimensional machining operations as well.
This process also included the various slots in different
sizes required in the Oslo project for connections and
joints with steel dowels and steel plates at the load-bearing
nodes. Owing to the large number of large components
that had to be glued, W.u.J.Derix/Poppensieker&
Derix developed their own press specially for the airport
project in order to comply with the specified quality
standard and the deadlines. Finally, all glulam components
were transported 1300 kilometres to the building site
on time.

Glulam/reinforced concrete hybrid design
As with the first terminal, the architecture of the load-
bearing structure for the new passenger check-in
building, Sentralbygning Vest, is based on a glulam/reinforced concrete hybrid design. The new rectangular
building, measuring 126 metres long and 95 metres wide,
is directly alongside the first terminal. Seven pairs of
clad glulam trusses supported on circular reinforced
concrete columns 54 metres apart on each of the main
grid-lines form the primary structure. At the airside
end the trusses cantilever an impressive 23 metres, at
the landside end a more modest 13.65 metres. Sturdy
steel arms 3 metres apart on top of the reinforced

concrete columns support the pairs of glulam trusses

at a height of 18.80 or 12.80 metres. The long cantilevers,
curving over their length and with an elegant taper
at the end, awaken associations with the huge wings of
intercontinental aircraft and seem to fulfil their structural task here with consummate ease. The dimensions
of their top and bottom chords, laid up in parallel blocks,
speak for themselves: 89 centimetres wide and
53 centimetres deep (top), 73 centimetres wide and
105 centimetres deep (bottom). Whereas the top chords
were clad, the finely sanded surfaces of the bottom
chords were left exposed. Between these main beams,
2.50 metre deep glulam trusses 6 metres apart and
spanning about 15 metres constitute the symmetrical
secondary structure.

Arches for pier
The roof structure for the new terminal consists of a
total of 138 primary and secondary glulam trusses that
were prefabricated in Germany and then delivered to
Norway just in time. Sentralbygning Vest covers an area
of about 12000m, although the multi-storey internal
fitting-out will result in a final usable floor area of
52000m. The new Pir Nord for the jet bridges is
320 metres long and has an area of 63000m. Its fan-like
shape reminds the observer of a giant jet engine.

At its junction with Terminal 1, the pier is 120 metres
wide, but gradually tapers towards the airfield. After
about 160 metres it merges with a symmetrical tube
46 metres wide and 16 metres high, whose load-bearing
structure consists of 28 arches made of pairs of glulam
sections. Owing to the taper, the structures on the
first eleven main grid-lines differ in size, whereas the
structures on the remaining seventeen grid-lines of
the tube are identical. There are pairs of glulam arches
32 centimetres apart with cross-sections between
28120 and 28250 centimetres on every main grid-line.
The longest individual glulam segments of the arches,
with steel plates let into the timber to create rigid
splices, are an impressive 47 metres long.

Passive-house standard for terminal
From 2015 onwards, all new buildings in Norway must be
built to the passive-house energy standard. Accordingly,
at least 50 per cent of the heating energy requirement
must be provided by renewable energy sources. Compared with the annual figure for the existing Terminal 1
(490kWh/m), the primary energy requirement for
heating and cooling in the new Sentralbygning Vest Ter-
minal is to be cut by half. The climate-neutral energy
supply to the airport is based on a modular principle.
Geothermal energy is one component in this. Two wells
extract water from a large body of groundwater

beneath the airport and send the water via submersible

motors to heat pumps, which extract the energy through
compression to supply either the low-energy under-
floor heating or the cooling circuits. The two well circuits
operate separately. In the first one, relatively cold
water, compared with the outside temperature, is pumped
to the surface in summer and re-injected in winter. In the
second one, relatively warm water, compared with the
outside temperature, is pumped to the surface in winter
and re-injected in summer. This method balances out
the groundwater reservoir in terms of the quantity of
water and its temperature.

Airport expansion, Oslo

water and fed via a pipeline to the airports heat pump

stations at a temperature of 10 to 16C.

The summer cooling system for Pir Nord is unique.
In winter, snow with a total volume of 90000m is
collected and piled up in a 30000m basin, then covered
with sawdust and chippings to insulate it and thus slow
down the melting process in the summer. Like a glacier,
the meltwater gradually seeps through the mass of
snow. On the floor of the basin, the water, with a temper-
ature just above 0C, is collected and fed to a heat
exchanger. This extracts the energy from the meltwater
and feeds this to the cooling and ventilation systems in
the new pier. Afterwards, the water is fed back to the

Heat from waste water, snow for cooling in summer basin so the snow-cooling system can be recharged to a
Another component in the energy supply is the use of
certain extent and keep the process going. By using a
the airports waste water. First of all, a sewage treatment local resource, in this case snow, it was possible to install
plant cleans the waste water. In a second stage, a
a much smaller conventional ventilation system, which
heat recovery system with heat exchanger extracts the should only be needed as a backup or to cover peak
waste heat from the treated waste water. After that,
loads. In addition, this solves the problem of large amounts
this heat is fed back into some of the treated waste
of snow at Oslo International Airport in the future. mwl

180

Client Avinor AS and Oslo Lufthavn AS, 2061 Gardermoen, Norway,

www.avinor.no
Architecture Nordic Office of Architecture, 0306 Oslo, Norway,
www.nordicarch.com; Cowi AS, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark,
www.cowi.com; Norconsult AS, 1338 Sandvika, Norway, www.norconsult.no;
Aas-Jakobsen AS, 7037 Trondheim, Norway, www.aas-jakobsen.no;
Per Rasmussen AS, 1313 Vyenenga, Norway, www.ipras.no
Project management F Advansia AS, 1366 Lysaker, Norway,
www.afconsult.com

Snow
dump

Contractor, roof structure Kruse Smith AS, 4630 Kristiansand,

Norway, www.kruse-smith.no
Insulation
(timber chippings)

Structural engineers Sweco Norge AS, 0212 Oslo, Norway, www.sweco.no

Pipe to
Pir Nord
Cooling
plant

Glulam structures W.u.J.Derix GmbH&Co., 41372 Niederkrchten,

Germany; Poppensieker&Derix GmbH&Co.KG, 49492 Westerkappeln,
Germany, www.derix.de

Snow dump

Steel components&connectors Brninghoff GmbH&Co.KG,

46359 Heiden, Germany, www.brueninghoff.de

Heat exchanger

Transportation of glulam members Ernst Laumeyer GmbH,

49492 Westerkappeln, Germany, www.laumeyer.de
Sand/sludge
trap

Start on site 2011

Scheduled completion April 2017

Grating

Pump

Overflow for excess water

Sand/sludge
trap

Total costs 1.7 billion

Quantity of timber used 3500m

Retention basin

Carbon (C) content 875t

To groundwater

Sequestered CO2 3208t

A

Screen
Central cold
energy supply
for Pir Nord

A Uniqueand

not just when it comes to international

airports: cold water for the air-conditioning and
ventilation systems in Pir Nord is reclaimed from a
basin that stores snow!
B Timber

construction in the 21st century: glulam

beams prefabricated with millimetre precision and
transported more than 1300 kilometres to arrive just
in time

C Arches form the load-bearing structure to the

new Pir Nord.
D The

modern load-bearing structure of the

terminal consists of timber, steel, and concrete. The
top and bottom chords of the trusses are glulam
components laid up in parallel blocks. Trusses are
also used for the secondary structure.

E The

unusual glued laminated timber roof beams for

the Sentralbygg Vest passenger check-in building
span 90 metres between reinforced concrete columns.

181

Picture credits

182

Cover Wolfram Kbler. Introduction 8, 11 A, D, E: Museum Niesky. 11 B:

Baukunstarchiv, Berlin. 11 C: Baukunstarchiv, Berlin/Karsten, William F.
14 A, B: Fam.Ohnesorge/Archiv Prof.Wolfgang Rug. 15 C: Markus
Bollen Photography. 15 D: Schmees&Lhn. WIPO conference hall, Geneva
18: David Matthiessen. 21 A, B: schlaich bergermann und partner. 21 C,
22 A, 23 B: Charpente Concept. 21 D: David Matthiessen. 23 C, E: Dasta
Charpentes Bois/Gilbert Buron. 23 D: Charpente Concept/Lucien
Fortunati. 24 A, B: Behnisch Architekten. 25, C: David Matthiessen.
Elephant house, Zurich 26, 29 A: Jean-Luc Grossmann. 29 B-E, 30 B,
32 C, 33 E, F: Walt+Galmarini. 30 A, C, 32 A, D: Markus Schietsch
Architekten GmbH. 32 B: MERK Timber GmbH. 33 G: Sika AG, Ricardo
Gomez. G3 Shopping Resort, Gerasdorf 36: ATP/Kurt Kuball. 38 A,
40 A-D, 41 E-G, J: Graf-Holztechnik GmbH. 38 B, D, E: ATP Architekten
und Ingenieure. 38 C: ATP/Kurt Kuball. 41 H, I: Hannes Plackner/
Holzkurier. Warehouse, Philippsburg 42, 44 C, 47 D, E: Brigida Gonzlez.
44 A, B, 46 A: gumpp . heigl . schmitt. 46 B, C: Lignatur AG. 47 F:
Ing.-Bro von Fragstein. Railway operations centre, Laubenbachmhle
48, 51 B, C, 52 E, 53 F: Zieser Architekt. 51 A, 52 B-D: Rubner Holzbau AG.
52 A: NVOG/Bleuer. Organic supermarket, Windhof 54, 57 C, 59 C:
Nikos Welter. 57 A, B, 58 A, B: hainarchitektur. Casa Salute, Margreid
60, 63 A-C, 64 A, 65 C: Casa Salute S.r.l.. 63 D, 65 B: Studio M7/Architekt
Marco Sette. Sports hall, Sargans 68, 70 B, C, 71 H, 73: Roman Keller,
Zrich. 70 A, 71 I, J: blue architects AG. 70 D: Walt+Galmarini, 70 E-G:
Susanne Jacob-Freitag. Indoor rollerblade arena, Geisingen 74, 76 B,
79 E: G.R. Wett, CENTRAPLAN Architekten. 76 A, C, D: WIEHAG GmbH/
kw-holz. 78 A, B, 79 D: Jochen Hummel/Wiehag. 78 C: Uhrig. 79 F:
Isaak Papadopoulos. Acquaworld, Concorezzo 80, 83 C, D: Sering Srl/
Bluwater Spa. 84 A: Sering Srl. 83 A, B, 85 B-D: Rubner Holzbau AG.
Les Thermes, Strassen 86, 91 D: GEGENPOL. 89 A: Ochs GmbH. 89 B, C,
90 A, B, 91 C: Hermann&Valentiny et Associs. Multifunction stadium,
Nice 92, 96 A, 98 B, 99 C: Allianz Riviera/Milne Servelle. 95 B, 98 A:
Allianz Riviera. 95 A, C: Wilmotte&Associs. 97 B: Fargeot LC. 97 C, D:
VINCI/ F.Vigouroux. LCT One, Dornbirn, and IZM, Montafon 102: Norman
A.Mller. 105 A-E, 106 B, 108 A-C: Architekten Hermann Kaufmann ZT
GmbH. 106, 108 D, E: Bruno Klomfar. Apartment building, Wagramer
Strae, Vienna 110, 114 A-C, 115 D, E: Bruno Klomfar. 112 A-C: schluder
architektur ZT GmbH. Canols staff hostel, Lenzerheide 116, 119 B,
121 A-D: Lenz, Voneschen&Partner AG. 119 A: Dominik Sutter. 119 C:
Graubnden Holz. Wlderhaus, Hamburg 122, 125 A-C, 126 A: Bernadette
Grimmenstein. 126 B, C: Studio Andreas Heller Architects&Designers.
126 D: Heinrich Haveloh GmbH. Woodcube, Hamburg 128, 131 A, B:
Bernadette Grimmenstein. 132 A: DeepGreen Development GmbH.
132 B, C: architekturagentur. 133 D-F: IBA Hamburg/Martin Kunze. c13,
Berlin 136, 139 C, 140 A, 141 C, 143 A: Bernd Borchardt. 139 A, B, 141 B,
143 B: Kaden und Partner Architekten. 143 C: Pirmin Jung Ingenieure fr
Holzbau. TM50, Nuremberg 144, 147 C, D: Peter Drfel Fotodesign.
147 A, B: DXV Architektur. 149 A: Enis Avdic. 149 B-D: HU-Holzunion
GmbH. Wooden church, Eiterfeld-Unterrufhausen 152, 155 B: Christian
Reinhardt. 155 A, 156 A: Matthias Wald. 156 B: Marc Wilhelm Lennartz.
157 C, D: Norman Heimbrodt Architekt. Overmeyer organic farm, Seevetal
158, 160 B, C, 161 E-G, 163 B: Bernadette Grimmenstein. 160 A: Urban
Catalyst Studio. 160 D: Scaven Htz Architekt. 163 A: Meisterkollektiv.
Viewing tower, Pyramidenkogel, Keutschach am See 164, 167 E, F, 169 A, C:
Rubner Holzbau AG. 167, A, C: Klaura Kaden+Partner ZT GmbH. 167 B, D:
Lackner&Raml. 169 B: pierer.net. Wildlife overpass, Luckenwalde 170,
175 C: DEGES GmbH-Fotodesign Legrand. 172 A, C-E: Schwesig+
Lindschulte. 172 B, 175 D, E: DEGES. 174 A, B: Schaffitzel+Miebach. Airport
expansion, Oslo 176, 180 A: Oslo Lufthavn AS. 178 A, B: Nordic Office of
Architecture. 178 C, 181 B-E: W.u.J.Derix/Poppensieker&Derix.

The authors

Susanne Jacob-Freitag, Dipl.-Ing., studied construction

engineering. For 10 years she was an editor with a
German journal for timber construction. Since 2007 she
has been working as a freelance journalist, focusing
on engineered timber construction and architecture.
She runs a business providing editorial services,
manuScriptur, in Karlsruhe.
www.manuscriptur.de

183

Marc Wilhelm Lennartz, Dipl.-Geogr., studied physical

and economic geography, urban planning, urban and
regional development, transport policy, and soil science
at the Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University in
Bonn. He works as a freelance journalist, consultant, and
author specialising in modern (timber) architecture,
urban planning, renewable energy, and renewable raw
materials.
www.mwl-sapere-aude.com

About Cree GmbH

The name Cree has been borrowed from the Native Americans of
the same name in recognition of their natural way of life, and is also
the abbreviation of Creative Resource&Energy Efficiency; as part
of the internationally renowned Rhomberg Group, it is the logical next
step growing out of four generations of high-rise construction
experience. The company was formed in 2010 and, with its innovative
strategies, wants to create an impetus and spread ideas for the
better use of natural resources. New concepts are designed to reduce
both resource and energy consumption in the life cycle of buildings
and thereby counteract negative changes in the climate. The timber
construction specialist envisions a hybrid timber tower block with
up to 30 storeys and a total height of 100 metres which requires less
energy and fewer resources in its entire life cyclefrom the design
through to disposal. The means to this end is the LCT (Life Cycle Tower)
system. With the LCT One office tower in Dornbirn and the Illwerke
Centre in Montafon, Vandans, Cree has now provided two projects as
evidence that the concept functions well under actual working
conditions. In addition a three-storey building was set up with the
LCT-System in the town of Memmingen, Bavaria, for the first time in
a mixed occupancy with offices and penthouse-apartments.
www.creebyrhomberg.com

Translation from German into English: Philip Thrift

Copy editing: John OToole
Project management: Alexander Felix, Petra Schmid
Production: Amelie Solbrig
Layout, cover design, and typography: Atelier Landolt/Pfister

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