Description

Hüttinger Elektronik, part of the Trumpf Group since 1990, manufactures generators for induction heating, plasma and CO₂ laser excitation – which are needed for the production of semiconductors, flat screens, LEDs and architectural glass coatings. The consortium is the global market leader for such lasers. Hüttinger’s new company headquarters is located in the Haid industrial estate in Freiburg, which adjoins the Rieselfeld residential district. The new facility unites production, research and development and administration under a single roof.

After initially suggesting a steel construction, which was rejected for cost reasons, among others, the architects developed a 100-metre-long and 72-metre-wide reinforced concrete structure with a production hall arranged on a column grid of 10 × 7.50 m. The intention was to create an open spatial arrangement that can accommodate future changes. The works supervisors’ offices are placed along the southern long edge, with meeting and staff rooms arranged on a mezzanine level. The northern long side of the building is reserved for delivery, storage and technical facilities. The offices – individual and open-plan – are arranged on the upper floor, which is kept separate from the production hall below for fire reasons. They face onto two open roof gardens and are divided by three large light shafts that allow daylight from the roof to reach the production works below.

This combination of different functions is unusual in industrial buildings and difficult to manage in terms of building regulations. A structure of concrete beams rests on concrete columns and is clad by steel encasement panels, into which Heraklit slabs have been mounted on the room-facing side for better acoustics. The two end walls of the hall are glazed from floor to ceiling, supported by an external steel structure with supports at varying intervals to counter the monotony of a regular grid. As with the precast concrete elements and other openings in the façade, everything varies slightly from the regular. The concrete formwork elements exhibit irregular, slight raised joints, prefabricated sections have a 5× or 6× module, therefore disrupting the taut, economical regularity of a usual system. For the cast concrete sections, the architects devised a diamond-shaped studded arrangement, and the steel windows have particularly deep reveals, lending the smooth façade a sense of sculptural depth.

In the foyer, corridors and offices, both the floors and custom-designed suspended ceilings are made of wood, creating a pleasant, warm interior without being too sterile. The detailing has been carefully conceived to create a sense of overall coherence. The door panels to the offices on the mezzanine floor have differently coloured glass filling to create a sense of connection without affording direct views in. The reception desk and the kitchens in the staff rooms are architect-designed and custom-made. The architects also designed a separate timber structure with curved plexiglass infill that serves as a measuring and testing facility and stands apart from the main building for radiation reasons. The entire structure has also been designed with future expansion in mind – and can be extended lengthways to the west.

Originally published in Bauwelt  9.2007, pp. 22-27, abridged and edited for Building Types Online, translated by Julian Reisenberger

 

 

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