369 Ricola Kräuterzentrum – Herzog & de Meuron

Project: 2010-2013
Realization: 2013-2014

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.

Architecture as Landscape

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. Loam, 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

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.

Herzog & de Meuron, 2014

Process

Drawings

Team

Partners: Jacques Herzog; Pierre de Meuron; Stefan Marbach (Partner in Charge)
Project Team: Michael Fischer (Associate, Project Director); Nina Andrea Renner (Project Manager); Wolfgang Hardt (Partner); Zdeněk Chmel; Harald Schmidt; Hendrik Steinigeweg; Luca Ugolini; Freya Winkelmann

Facts

In Collaboration With: Rammed Earth Facade Specialist: Lehm Ton Erde Baukunst Gmbh, Schlins, Austria Martin Rauch, Thomas Honermann, Hanno Burstcher
Client: Ricola AG, Laufen, Switzerland
Planning: Design Consultant: Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, Switzerland; Executive Architect: Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, Switzerland; General Planning: Kundert Planer AG, Schlieren, Switzerland; Cost Consultant: Kundert Planer AG, Schlieren, Switzerland; General Contractor: Priora Generalunternehmung AG, Basel, Switzerland; Structural Engineering: Schnetzer Puskas Ingenieure AG, Basel, Switzerland; Electrical Engineering: Pfister + Gloor Engineering, AG Baden-Dättwill, Switzerland; Electrical Engineering: Selmoni Ingenieur AG, Basel, Switzerland; HVAC Engineering: Cofely AG, Basel, Switzerland; HVAC Engineering: Kundert Planer AG, Schlieren, Switzerland; Engineering Design: Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany; Plant Layout: Kundert Planer AG, Schlieren, Switzerland
Specialist / Consulting: Cost Consultant: Rapp Arcoplan AG, Basel, Switzerland; Acoustics : Martin Lienhard, Langenbruck, Switzerland; Building Physics: Zimmermann + Leuthe GmbH, Aetigkofen, Switzerland; Building Physics: Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany; Civil Engineering: Schnetzer Puskas Ing. , Basel, Switzerland; Facade Engineering: Emmer Pfenninger Partner AG, Münchenstein, Switzerland; Facade Engineering: Lehm Ton Erde Baukunst GmbH, Schlins, Austria; Geometrician: Peter Jäckle AG, Laufen, Switzerland; Geotechnical Consultant: Kiefer & Studer AG, Reinach, Switzerland; Sustainability Consultant: PE CEE GmbH, Vienna, Austria
Building Data: Site Area: 165'268 sqft, 15'354 sqm; Gross floor area (GFA): 51'666 sqft, 4'800 sqm; Number of levels: 3; Footprint: 34'638 sqft, 3'218 sqm; Length: 364 ft, 111 m; Width: 95 ft, 29 m; Height: 36 ft, 11 m
Links: www.ricola.ch

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