EKT Werkhof Sulgen | kit | architects | Media - Sustainability

Embodied carbon

Efficient

A key decision was the extensive use of timber for the building’s primary structure. Above the elements in contact with the ground, the primary structural system was constructed in Swiss spruce, with the exception of the escape stair core, which was reduced to the functional minimum.
The primary structure consists of three vertically stacked glulam truss systems, creating generous and largely column-free floor areas. Approximately 730 cubic metres of timber were used for the building, including its timber facade. This volume of timber regrows across the entire Swiss forest in approximately 30–40 minutes.
Natural, resource-conscious, and healthy building materials were used extensively throughout the interiors of the two office floors. Non-load-bearing timber stud walls incorporate 22-millimetre Strobaterra clay panels by Stroba, made from 100 percent natural materials and reinforced with jute mesh. The panels were finished with HAGA clay fine plaster (Lehmfeinputz). The same combination of clay panels and clay plaster was used on the interior face of the facade parapet elements.
Spruce timber partition systems were also used throughout the office areas. Where other materials were structurally or functionally necessary, resource-conscious alternatives were selected where possible. Recycled concrete was used for the concrete elements of the building, while Interface WW870, Raffia Weft, from the World Woven collection was used for the floor finish. The carpet incorporates yarn made from recycled polyamide.
Together with the extensive use of Swiss timber for the structure, facade, and interior walls, these materials form a strategy in which renewable, natural, and recycled materials were used wherever appropriate from a structural and functional perspective.
The compact organisation of the building was another part of the resource strategy. The efficient floor plan made it possible to concentrate vertical circulation in a single escape stair core, which also incorporates installation zones and sanitary facilities. This reduces circulation areas and, consequently, the amount of material required.

Operational Emissions / Energy

Efficient

The EKT Werkhof is certified to the Swiss MINERGIE-A building standard. Requirements for energy efficiency and building performance were integrated into the design from the outset and influenced the building envelope, material concept, building services, and energy supply.
The facade parapets are lined internally with clay panels and clay plaster to introduce additional thermal mass into the timber building. The timber stud walls throughout the office floors were treated according to the same principle. The clay-based materials also contribute to a balanced indoor climate.
Heating is provided by an air-to-water heat pump. Photovoltaic systems were installed on the roof of the new building and on two existing buildings within the EKT site, with a total installed capacity of 182 kWp. The energy strategy therefore also makes use of available roof areas on the existing buildings.

Afterlife

Disassemblable Elements for Circular Economy

Flexibility and long-term adaptability were important design parameters from the outset, both at the scale of the overall building and in the structural and technical organisation of the office floors.
The building has been designed so that it can be extended by a further five structural bays to the south if additional space is required in the future. The structural system, building grid, and overall organisation already anticipate this potential extension.
Within the office floors, the glulam truss structure creates generous, largely column-free spaces that can accommodate different layouts over time.
The facade structure and technical ceiling panels for electrical services, ventilation, heating, and cooling are coordinated with the building grid. Lightweight partition walls can therefore be added along both the primary and intermediate grid lines without major intervention. This allows the office layouts to respond relatively easily to changing workplace concepts, team sizes, or future uses.
Rather than optimising the building for a single fixed configuration, the project provides a robust structural framework capable of accommodating change over a long service life.

Sustainability Report

Embodied carbon

Operational Emissions / Energy

Afterlife

Key products in low carbon design