Description

The former building of the Kaufmann timber works in Reuthe had burned down. Therefore a new hall for the sorting, drying and storage of timber boards was required within a short period of time. Early on in the design process of the hall the design team – which included the client, consultants and the architect – developed a concept involving a high degree of prefabrication. This interdisciplinary process ensured the required efficiency of the planning. After seven weeks of construction time the new storage hall could be put into operation.

The building is split into two areas with different roof spans. The northern area contains the wood sorting plant and the dry wood store. The wood drying compartments are located in the southern part of the building.

The roof of the hall is a timber shell structure. Two continuous laminated timber girders were suspended from restrained steel pylons. The girders are connected by Parallam timber profiles. Within this primary structure a secondary structure of low-rise timber compass roofs was embedded. It consists of bent Intrallam panels (2.44 m x 10.67 m), which are glued to arched laminated timber ribs. Together they form a shear-resistant connection. In combination with steel traction rods, these ribbed panels function like two-hinged arches. Intrallam is an innovative building material, which is produced in large-format panels and is well suited for a high level of prefabrication, as it was required in this case. Due to their high stability they can be used not only as a façade material but also as load-bearing elements. Because of the local alpine conditions with high snow loads a thickness of 40 mm and three ribs per roof-panel were necessary. The walls consist of large Intrallam panels as well: they form a folded-plate structure, which transmits the dead load and wind loads to the primary columns of the building.

The building skin is composed of overlapping chipboard panels. This creates shadow effects resulting in a clear horizontal pattern on the solid wall. The compass roofs contain glazed elements allowing daylight to enter the hall and visually differentiating the roof structure from the façade.

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Originally published in: Jürgen Adam, Katharina Hausmann, Frank Jüttner, Industrial Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2004.