Sustainability meets architectural standards
An Experts project of the ProAir GmbH
With perfect teamwork and the right materials, we ensure that creative ideas can also be implemented to perfection in timber construction!
With perfect teamwork and the right materials, we ensure that creative ideas can also be implemented to perfection in timber construction!
With perfect teamwork and the right materials, we ensure that creative ideas can also be implemented to perfection in timber construction!
Pfleiderer in conversation with Mr. Dieter Herz and Mr. Andreas Rast
Pfleiderer: Mr. Herz, you and your office are regarded as pioneers and trailblazers for energy-efficient, sustainable construction.Looking at the ProAir headquarters, it quickly becomes clear that architectural as well as physical construction factors played an important role in its development.What makes the ProAir administration special?
Dieter Herz: At ProAir, it was clear that the administration building should also be a bit of a "built corporate philosophy". Our architect Anita Bechter therefore created a design that is derived from the technology of the ProAir products. Based on the client's words "Everything rotates here", the quarter-circle-shaped building takes up the concept of the rotating, so-called click lamella. This is the patented heart of ProAir's main product and gives it its technological uniqueness. The resulting building is harmonious and round, which also opens up advantages for the internal layout: Short distances, large offices, clear functional areas and wonderful views of the surroundings. The exit on the roof also follows the flowing design language - it is derived from the company's logo. The design impressed the client right from the start.
Pfleiderer: How could these architectural requirements be implemented sustainably?
Dieter Herz: In timber construction - and with a partner who knows exactly what he's doing! We In timber construction - and with a partner who knows exactly what they are doing! We have been cooperating with Rast carpentry for a long time, because here we find not only the necessary know-how but also the precision in execution that makes such a project a success. As a quality-monitored company, the company also has the right formal foundations - and with perfect teamwork and the right materials, together we ensure that creative ideas can also be implemented to perfection in timber construction!
Pfleiderer: Mr. Rast, what do you think are the special features of ProAir?
Andreas Rast : A few aspects came together here that are not commonplace for us either: We had to deal with curved basic shapes, which we prefabricated in timber frame construction and then assembled on site. The frames were made from glued laminated timber. We then clad them with 15 mm chipboard. ProAir used LivingBoard face contiprotect P5 for this - an ideal choice for us: Blue Angel, cradle-to-cradle silver certificate, can be used in any direction and is low-swelling and moisture-resistant. For the interior walls, the LivingBoard was nailed to the glulam on both sides. For individual curved segments, where we had to deal with very small radii, we had to switch to gypsum fiberboard. The ceilings are made of solid wood, the floor slab is made of concrete and concrete and masonry were used at the rear of the building around the elevator shaft and the connection to the existing building. For the exterior walls, we also used LivingBoard face contiprotect P5 on the inside because it also acts as a vapor barrier. We finished the exterior walls with a DWD panel, in front of which we installed a rear-ventilated façade with façade panels on the first floor. The exterior walls on the first floor are plastered.
Pfleiderer: And in addition to the sustainability of the materials, what about the energy efficiency of the building?
Dieter Herz: The ProAir administration building was planned according to the passive house concept, and we used a 28 timber frame construction. The frames were filled with highly efficient wood fiber insulation, which enabled us to achieve the desired insulation values. The heat is distributed via conventional underfloor heating and there is also a ventilation system with heat recovery. All in all, this was sufficient to connect the new building to the heat generator in the neighboring building and supply it from there. For ProAir, this is the most cost-effective option in terms of plant technology, as the company has been relying on highly efficient heating systems and photovoltaics for its headquarters for years.
Pfleiderer: What role did the prefabrication of individual elements play in the construction?
Andreas Rast: The exterior walls were prefabricated by us with planking on both sides, anchored on site using brackets in the concrete floor slab and then insulated. For the interior walls, we prefabricated them planked on one side and planked the second side on site. Here, too, we blew in the wood fiber insulation to achieve good sound insulation. This is an important aspect, especially in the office. To ensure that everything fits together seamlessly and is carried out with the desired precision on the construction site, we worked closely together during the design phase. With ProAir, every wall section was basically unique. This applied to the exterior and interior walls as well as the roof construction: the glulam elements are curved horizontally and in some cases also vertically. In order to master this challenge precisely in terms of production technology, we transferred the data from Herz & Lang's CAD planning (CADWORK) directly into our joinery machine. This was time-consuming, but it clearly paid off in the end.
Pfleiderer: Does that mean the planning effort is similar to that of conventional construction methods?
Dieter Herz: I would say that the theoretical planning effort is greater. In timber construction projects, we have to work more carefully and precisely at the beginning because, for example, individual wall elements are developed precisely to meet the structural requirements due to the position of the frames. Unlike with other construction methods, it is therefore not possible to simply move a window, switch a door from left to right or change the position of a supply line. For this reason, we drew up the entire execution planning for the ProAir administration building in parallel and simultaneously with the Rast carpentry company, exchanged data with each other and regularly coordinated closely - as if in a symbiosis. Things then went extremely smoothly during the construction phase.
Andreas Rast: The assembly of the prefabricated elements then went quickly - which is an advantage in shell construction, because timber construction elements can only be assembled in dry weather.
Dieter Herz: All in all, it took us around 6 months of planning and 16 months of construction to complete the building with the transition to the existing structure. The building ultimately meets all of the client's requirements.
Pfleiderer: Mr. Rast, Mr. Herz, thank you very much for the interview!
PROFILE ANDREAS RAST / DIETER HERZ
„Nothing is impossible in timber construction.“
Andreas Rast
Master carpenter + restorer in the carpentry trade
„Today is tomorrow yesterday.“
Dieter Herz
Dipl. Ing (FH) Holztechnik + Managing Director Herz & Lang GmbH
The facts about the project
| Project: | ProAir GmbH company headquarters, Argenbühl-Eglofs |
| Product: | LivingBoard face contiprotect P5 |
| Area of application: | Stiffening pane |
| Client: | ProAir GmbH, Argenbühl-Eglofs |
| Execution: | Rast carpentry, Argenbühl-Eglofs |
| Completion: | 2019 |
Products used
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