Steinfeld, 16th July 2021 – Here, it’s all about wood: In Drautal, in Upper Carinthia, the East Tyrolean manufacturer of timber products Theurl has built a new facility – for wood, from wood. It is a state-of-the-art production plant for cross laminated timber elements (CLT), which have been produced here since the beginning of the year at an annual volume of 100,000 m³. The special feature: The administration building was built right next door – out of these same elements: a load-bearing timber structure that perfectly presents the client’s product range. “It couldn’t be more sustainable: a renewable raw material used exactly where it’s processed,” says Paul Ohnmacht, Head of Design at ATP Innsbruck. With the exception of the reinforced concrete stair tower, the entire building is made of only wood, which gives the employees a true sense of identity.
ATP Innsbruck integrally designed the “timber location” with the help of the latest planning tools with Building Information Modeling (BIM). A digital model enabled not only the 200-meter-long production building to be optimally positioned in its landscape context vis-à-vis noise and dust prevention, but also the sustainable use of the available resources to be simulated and analyzed. “This was made possible by the integrated design practiced by ATP, the excellent cooperation, and our knowhow from other projects,” says the architect Petra Oberacher.
Theurl’s main objective in the administration building was flexibility: open-plan offices, whose use can be adapted in line with changing needs and circumstances. ATP Innsbruck achieved this by integrating the loadbearing columns into the grid of the façade, which thus transfers the building load to the ground. “Hence, only three columns are required inside the building,” explains Paul Ohnmacht. “Every possible workplace scenario can be created there, now and in the future: from individual to open-plan offices.”
Externally, the appearance of the building is characterized by the pioneering timber slats. The cladding to the balcony is coated in anthracite and the slats in silver, with everything being supported and softened by large amounts of natural spruce. The timber loadbearing structure is visible everywhere: the horizontal balcony fronts with their larch flooring, the solar protection slats in front of the glass façade, the generous reception area, the columns, beams and ceiling elements – the client’s product range and ATP’s timber-building expertise can be experienced throughout the building – within and without.
