Herzog & de Meuron Basel Ltd.
Rheinschanze 6
4056 Basel, Switzerland
Email: info@herzogdemeuron.com
Phone: +41 61 385 5757
Project Update
On-site at HORTUS: ‘WOOD’
09 March 2024
ALLSCHWIL, SWITZERLAND — As the construction of HORTUS continues, we share an impression of the progress on-site, focusing on how the building’s wooden elements are sourced, manufactured, and installed. HORTUS is a multi-story timber framed building — timber joinery is employed in order to avoid metal connections, so that at the end of the building’s life span components can be easily dismantled and recycled. The modular wooden elements are made from sustainably sourced timber from local forests, with care taken to ensure that no individual forest if overburdened with cutting.
Once complete, HORTUS will accommodate 600 workspaces. The building will generate more energy than it consumes from day one, due to its PV system and reduced energy loads. It is slated to be absolutely energy positive in thirty-one years, meaning the building will have generated enough to offset the total embodied energy of its construction, materials, and day-to-day operation.
