Seven-Air is Switzerland's leading manufacturer and vendor of ventilation and air conditioning systems. Its production plant in Hitzkirch also makes it a major employer in the region. We conducted a first substantial extension of their factory buildings between 1985 and 1999. A second sheet metal forming line to increase capacity and to offer additional protection against loss of production as well as the increasingly complex final assembly of air conditioning systems led to greater space requirements over the years. The sheet metal forming production hall was extended by a three-storey annex along its entire length, housing offices, meeting rooms and a generous staff area with terrace. Changing rooms and toilets for 120 employees were installed in the new basement, while the prior one had its partitions removed and mobile shelving systems installed, and is now used as long-term archive for all project data since the founding of the company. The high quality metal front now embraces not only the extended sheet metal forming production hall, but also, at the northern end of the property, the new hall accommodating the electrical and air conditioning assembly departments, a laboratory, additional facilities for 120 employees and a new forwarding department on a total of 3500 m2. The latter has been equipped with heat-insulated loading bays typically used in cold-storage warehouses, improving durability and sustainability. The northeast-facing shed top lights let in a lot of daylight without any undesirable glare effects. The roof areas themselves orient to the southwest and are prepared to be been fitted with a photovoltaic system covering 3500 m2. The dynamically shaped roofs projecting from forwarding, warehouse and laboratory continue the high design standard on the outside and provide weather protection on an area of seven metres from the front. They also set additional accents in the horizontically structured front in terms of color and form.

All conversions and extensions had to be executed during on-going production - a coordination challenge for all parties involved that could only be met by close cooperation with Seven-Air and exacting knowledge of both operational processes and the existing constructional situation.