CERATIZIT Austria

New headquarters and production facility

ATP architects engineers responded to the processes behind the development and production of carbide tools by creating a partly three-story and approximately 220-meter-long building with production halls of varying sizes, storage and logistics space, offices, and social areas for over 300 employees.
The visible loadbearing structure, which is made from local spruce, facilitates the optimal use of the space. By “hanging” from the solid connections of the timber trusses, the mezzanine-level offices save space and eliminate the need for an intermediate slab. And these “floating timber boxes” also offer uninterrupted views of the open, brightly lit production areas, whose reduced architectural language underlines the functional atmosphere.

Green Factory
In line with both CERATIZIT’s corporate goals and the ATP Green Deal, the design pays great attention to sustainability, energy efficiency, and environmental impact: The exhaust heat from the machines provides much of the heating. The building is largely cooled via the thermal use of the existing drainage water from the sloping site. The redirection of the surplus water to the green area in the northern part of the site brought new life to a dried-out biotope. The extensive planting of the roof of around 15,000 m2 has led to an improvement in the microclimate and a reduction in the energy demand. And a large PV plant supplies the building with green electricity.

