Ricola Kräuterzentrum
Ricola Kräuterzentrum
Herzog & De Meuron
LOCKSMITHING
Decker Nova Metallbau Ag, Aesch, Switzerland
EXCAVATION
Jeker Aushub, Abbruch, Tief, Strassenbau
ROOF SAFETY ACCESS
Marx Ag
GEOTECHNICAL CONSULTANT
Kiefer & Studer Ag
PLANT LAYOUT
Kundert Planer Ag
STRUCTURAL WORK
Müller-steinag Element Ag, Switzerland Müller Bau Ag, Rickenbach Lu, Laufen, Switzerland
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Pfister + Gloor Engineering Ag, Baden-dättwil, Switzerland Selmoni Ingenieur Ag
SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT/
Pe Cee Gmbh
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Priora Generalunternehmung Ag
ELEVATORS
Schindler Ag
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure Ag
CIVIL ENGINEERING
Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure Ag
ELECTRICAL
Selmoni Ingenieur Ag
ENGINEERING DESIGN
Transsolar Energietechnik Gmbh
PLANTING
Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten Ag
BUILDING PHYSICS
Zimmermann + Leuthe Gmbh, Aetigkofen, Switzerland Transsolar Energietechnik Gmbh
RAMMED EARTH FACADE SPECIALIST
Martin Rauch, Thomas Honermann, Hanno Burtscher, Lehm Ton Erde Gmbh
DESIGN CONSULTANT
Herzog & De Meuron
EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT
Herzog & De Meuron
GENERAL PLANNING
Kundert Planer Ag
COST CONSULTANT
Kundert Planer Ag, Rapp Arcoplan Ag
ACOUSTICS
Martin Lienhard
FACADE ENGINEERING
Emmer Pfenninger, Münchenstein, Switzerland Lehm Ton Erde Baukunst Gmbh
GEOMETRICIAN
Peter Jäckle
CARPENTRY
Sebastian Jukic
FACADE
Lehm Ton Erde Gmbh, Krapf Ag
FIRE PROTECTION
Ab Brandschutz Ag
FLOORING / SUBFLOORING
Weiss + Appetito Ag
INSULATION
Zimmerei Meury
INTERIOR DOORS
Rwd Schlatter Ag
MOBILE PARTION WALLS
Arotec Ag
PAINT WORK
Malergeschäft Hügli
PLUMBING
Klima Ag
SECURITY SYSTEM
Laufen, Switzerland, Bucher/gabele, Switzerland Kaba, Rümlang
PLASTER WORK (INTERIOR)
Geb. Oser Agnenzlingen, Nenzlingen, Switzerland
ROOFING
Marx Ag, Muttenz, Switzerland
SHELL WORK
Switzerland, Bl Fenster, Veltheim
STEEL WORK
Preiswerk + Esser Ag
EXTERIOR DOORS, FIRE GATES
Hörmann Schweiz Ag
LIFTING RAMPS
Trapo Küng Ag
PILE WORK
Ghelma Ag Spezialtiefbau, Meiringen, Switzerland
PLASTER WORK (INTERIOR)
Geb. Oser Agnenzlingen, Nenzlingen, Switzerland
CLIENT REPRESENTATIVE
Hans Batzer
ARCHITECT IN CHARGE
Jacques Herzog, Pierre De Meuron, Stefan Marbach
PROJECT TEAM
Zdeněk Chmel, Wolfgang Hardt, Harald Schmidt, Hendrik Steinigeweg, Luca Ugolini, Freya Winkelmann
YEAR
2014
LOCATION
Laufen, Switzerland
CATEGORY
Factory, Warehouse
Text description provided by architect.
Architecture and Landscape The new Kräuterzentrum (herb center) is situated like an erratic block in the midst of a landscape dotted with conventional industrial buildings.
Its elongated shape echoes the pathways and the hedges that have long been a distinctive feature of this area.
The length of the building also reflects the steps involved in the industrial processing of herbs, from drying and cutting to blending and storing. The new processing plant enables Ricola to integrate these important steps in the company's own in-house production.
The Kräuterzentrum is built largely out of locally sourced earth; it is like a geometrical segment of landscape with its dimensions and archaic impact heightened by the radical choice of material.
Herbs and earth define the purpose-built, distinctive character of the center, following in the footsteps of Ricola‘s other buildings: the fully automated storage building of 1987, the production and storage building of 1993 in Mulhouse-Brunstatt with its screenprint façade and the glazed marketing headquarters of 1999 in Laufen.
These buildings not only embody Ricola's exceptional philosophy and commitment to the environment, they each make a striking contribution to their locations.
The delivery entrance and warehouse sections of the herb center’s façade are monolithic, with the loam walls visible in the interior as well. The prefabricated earth elements are manufactured in a nearby factory out of ingredients extracted from local quarries and mines.
Clay, marl and material excavated on site are mixed and compacted in a formwork and then layered in blocks to build the walls. Thanks to the plasticity of the loam, the seams can be retouched giving the overall structure a homogeneous appearance.
To arrest erosion caused by wind and rain, a trass mortar achieved mixing volcanic tuff (trass) with lime, is compacted every 8 layers of earth directly in the formwork. Large round windows illuminate the rooms. The façade is self-supporting and simply linked to the concrete loadbearing structure of the interior.
Energy and sustainability are not simply treated as technical auxiliaries; they are built into the architecture and essential features of the project as a whole. Earth as a material that regulates humidity has a positive, sustainable effect on the use of energy and overall climate control.
Photovoltaic modules on the roof and the use of waste heat from the production center nearby also contribute to improving the ecological balance of the Kräuterzentrum. Visitors will be able to watch the processing and blending of the herbs in a special visitor center on the top floor.
