<Zephyr Hangar V-Zug, Zug, 2017–2020

V-ZUG concentrates its production in a vertical factory at its traditional location. The modernization and concentration of production will also accommodate additional industrial enterprises, technology-related services and training facilities.

The first stage of this project was the construction of the Zephyr hangar with the automatic tool store and press. This was already in operation, while on top of it, a column-free hall of 39m x 90m and 8.60m (WxHxL) i. L. was built in timber construction. The hall is used for surface finishing and toolmaking. The ecologically as well as operationally innovative addition was made possible by a modular structure with prefabricated wooden binders in an enormously short construction time. The prefabricated girders were delivered in full length.

The facades with dark pressure-impregnated wooden lamellas are reminiscent of early industrial hall buildings. The distance between the lamellas forms a basic dimension in correspondence with the dimension of the sheds as well as the windows. The light-colored three-layer panels of the main walls are articulated by pilasters, and the 12 bays are set in the rhythm of the windows by contrasting window frames. The openings provide an oriented view to the outdoors for the employees in the hall. The sheds convey a typically industrial expression to the exterior and provide zenithal continuous daylighting to the interior. The silver-colored components for building services and artificial lighting were coordinated with the sheds and created an interplay. Completely without supports and subdivisions, an imposing interior space was created, which means full flexibility for the installation of the machines. In 2020, the hangar was temporarily used as a concert space for the 20th Festival of International Summer Sounds and impressed not only with its spatial proportions but also its acoustics.

With the development of the area into an urban tech cluster, the architecture of the wooden shed hall shows the ecological dimension of the new planning of the site. While maintaining the industrial typology, in the design of the hall the internal as well as the external elements of the wooden structure and the three components, base, elevation and stair towers appear differentiated.