One of the largest half-timbered office buildings in the world, setting new standards for sustainable construction.
The Illwerke Zentrum Montafon (IZM) in Rodund is the new administration building of the Vorarlberg power producer and a timber construction of superlatives: When it was completed, it was the largest office building made of wood in Central Europe with over 10,000 m² of usable space. The timber structure above the concrete base was assembled in just six weeks and is the first application of the Lifecycle Tower (LCT) on the open market, which enables timber construction beyond the high-rise boundary with a wood-concrete composite ceiling. The design is geared towards the strengths of modular construction and the capacities of local craft businesses, and the possibilities of hybrid construction should be fully exploited: the strengths of timber construction are combined with those of solid construction.
*»For a long time we have been working to free our building material, which is produced by the sun in front of the door, from prejudices and to help it assert its right as the ideal building material of the future. Another example of this is the new Illwerke Centre in Vandans, which will also be proof that sustainable construction and architectural quality are not a contradiction per se." *
Univ.-Prof. Arch. DI Hermann Kaufmann
A special feature of the system is that the wood not only bears, but also remains visible. This is because the material does not disappear behind plaster walls as is usually the case – it forms part of the interior fittings. This allows buildings to be built on an industrial scale with the same care and homeliness as the small gems for which Vorarlberg is otherwise famous.
Urban development, location, infrastructure connections
The shape of the IZM is defined by two specifications: the static structure of the building system with the prefabricated ribbed ceilings and the intention to create comparable conditions for all 270 workplaces. This limited the depth of the house and as a result the length of the building grew to 120 meters. In addition, the design also defined the shape, because the prefabricated panels best demonstrate their advantages in a cubic volume. The clear-cut timber structure could therefore only be accommodated on the perimeter by pushing it over the edge of the equalisation basin onto the water surface.
In this position, the building has a clear separation into two sides. Towards the east, the house welcomes its guests with an inviting gesture: the generously sized canopy marks the entrance and a park creates enough space to present the house in its full dimensions. The façade is divided into layers of parapets, ribbon windows and canopies. Length becomes the leitmotif of the house.
Sustainability
The primary energy consumption is less than 30 kWh/m²/year, the passive house standard guarantees a heating requirement of 14 kWh/m²/year. This is completely covered by the waste heat system of the Rodund plant, and the cooling requirement is also covered by a heat pump system.
When viewed over the life cycle, timber construction is the construction of choice for environmentally friendly construction. But building with wood requires a lot of knowledge about materials and constructions from the planners, and a high degree of craftsmanship from the manufacturers. Since this knowledge is often only available regionally, these factors prevent the building material from spreading widely. Lifting these restrictions and paving the way for timber construction is the declared goal of the LCT construction system.With the new centre, Illwerke has made a commitment to the region, as it offers young people prospects in the valley and helps to prevent them from migrating to the cities.
Source: Hermann Kaufmann + Partner ZT GmbH
Images: Norman Radon for HK Architekten, Norman A. Müller for GLAS MARTE
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