DI Simon Moosbrugger Architekt ZT has designed a new production hall facility for Austrian company Tischlerei Rüscher, a fourth-generation family business skilled in the art of cabinetmaking. Regional artisans were engaged in constructing the mixed wood and concrete building — as a result, the production hall integrates into the structural fabric of its picturesque village setting.
Tischlerei Rüscher was established in 1910 by Anton Rüscher who started repairing furniture in his workshop in the village of Schnepfau in Vorarlberg, Austria. The industry’s ongoing modernization and an increase in the size of machinery was taking a toll on the company’s early 20th century premises: a new production hall tailored to Rüscher’s exacting production processes was needed.
The new production hall was constructed on a green area in the village of Schnepfau that spans the length of the impressive Kanisfluh mountain range. Simon Moosbrugger designed a facility made up of the main building and an accompanying annex; the architectural characteristics, from a fine wooden facade to the carefully considered height, ensure the building integrates into the structural fabric of the surrounding village. The annex is constructed using reinforced concrete elements; a ramp between the annex and main production hall leads to a basement and underground parking with 27 spaces.
The building’s windows frame views of the Kanisfluh mountain range and surrounding area. In the production hall, roof glazing provides both uniform and glare-free lighting. Simon Moosbrugger’s design locates material deliveries and passenger traffic on the building’s east side — the remainder of the building is therefore free of logistical requirements.
The machine hall and woodcrafting area are built across a height of two stories, allowing for long-term flexibility; in the building’s northern section, there is a surface workshop on the ground floor with offices, customer areas, and an exhibition space on the first floor. A courtyard on this level helps to optimize lighting conditions and provides an outdoor space.
Timber trusses made using beech allow for unrestricted views across the production hall and towards the Kanisfluh mountain range.
Building components that are in contact with the ground are constructed from reinforced concrete. This is in keeping with the region’s historic architecture where wooden structures were typically built on stone foundations. The annex is constructed from reinforced concrete, mainly for explosion and fire protection reasons as its houses the paint shop and exhaust air shafts. “In addition, this part of the building contributes to the bracing of the entire wooden hall and thus enables the reduction of further bracing measures,” says Simon Moosbrugger. Beech trusses span the production hall and are supported by spruce columns.
Exterior walls are made from insulated prefabricated wooden parts that were transported to the site and covered with rough-sawn spruce boards placed in alternating directions.
The use of asphalt around the entirety of the building is kept to a minimum, thereby ensuring the surrounding fields, utilized for agricultural purposes, remain undisturbed. The building’s roof is extensively planted with greenery and covered with photovoltaic panels (183 kWp). Rainwater is harvested on the roof and used for irrigation.
When constructing the new Rüscher production hall, it was agreed with the contractor that, where possible, only regional craft business would be invited to tender. The vast majority of the project’s specialist planners and craftspeople were recruited from the district of Bregenz (where the village of Schnepfau is a municipality), in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Local village craftspeople were also able to work on glazing and carpentry tasks — Rüscher itself carried out the building’s interior fit-out.
Plot size: 7,435 square meters (80,030 square feet)
Gross floor area: 5,350 square meters (57,587 square feet) including underground storage
Usable area: 4,800 square meters (51,667 square feet) including underground storage
Built-up area: 2,550 square meters (27,448 square feet)
