Architecture

Natural ventilation

Rooms that can be opened up to 60 percent with sliding elements are arranged under large roofs that protect against sun and rain. This ensures natural ventilation. In addition, simple fans support a constant air flow that lowers the perceived temperature in the buildings by several degrees. However, due to the high facades, this approach alone was not sufficient to provide complete heat and rain protection. This problem is solved in a complementary way by "hanging gardens" made of planters suspended from stainless steel ropes and nets. The green walls not only shade the interior spaces and filter pollutants from the air, they also lower the building temperature through evaporation.

Hanging gardens

The vegetation of the green walls grows in planters that extend along the entire length of the buildings' facades. Over six kilometers of diagonally running stainless steel ropes support up to nine levels of planters. The 16-millimeter-thick rope tension members transfer the loads to the steel roof beams at the top and to the floor slabs at the bottom. The planters themselves consist of a base frame of rectangular sections and a waterproof layer held in place by Webnet rope nets. All structural components are made of type 316 stainless steel, which offers great durability against corrosion. In addition to the structural elements, the green facade contains a fully automatic irrigation and fertilization system.

Reduce energy and emissions

Buildings that are greened and ventilated in this way reduce energy costs and emissions. Where the buildings are not open to the outside, mobile sliding walls made of translucent polycarbonate allow sunlight to penetrate. The use of natural light for the interiors further reduces the factory's electricity requirements.

The multi-storey design of the factory buildings saves space on the floor area. Instead of the usual horizontal distribution of the factory on a single-storey floor plan, the architects have arranged the required work areas one above the other. As a result, the Jakob factory site includes a three-story production building, an administration building, and a covered storage and parking area. In the master plan, the architects have also envisaged structural extension stages using the same energy-reducing construction principle, in order to be able to create further production rooms if required.

Oasis in the courtyard

In the center of the site is a spacious courtyard. Grass-covered and tree-covered planting islands accentuate the courtyard. The walkways between the islands are covered with gravel so that excess water can seep away. This arrangement provides employees with a park-like recreation area with shady trees, sports equipment, volleyball and table tennis courts.