Creative business hub with an industrial character

The “Im Dock” project is a new, creative business hub just outside Lucerne. Designed by Egger Architektur, the building offers a dynamic environment for small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and creatives. Surrounded by greenery and yet well connected, the site combines entrepreneurship, drive and innovative ideas under one roof. The windows, doors and glazing with steel profile systems from Forster shape the industrial character of the building – and combine energy efficiency, safety and long service life with architectural lightness.

Reminiscent of British industrial history

With its facade of dark clinker strips and striking sawtooth roof, the building evokes 19th-century industrial construction – a deliberate reference to British factory buildings, which Egger Architektur interpreted in a modern way to meet the client’s requirements. Solid wooden supports in the veranda and prefabricated reinforced concrete supports and walls support the structure, while the top floor was made of steel.

Transparency thanks to narrow steel profiles

Floor-to-ceiling openings on the ground floor and generous light strips in the sawtooth roofs flood the building with daylight and underline the transparent character of the architecture. “We thought long and hard about using a conventional mullion/transom system on the ground floor”, explains Carol Egger from Egger Architektur in Lucerne. “Since the profile systems from Forster enable elements with very narrow face widths, we ultimately opted for doors, windows and glazing with narrow transoms that fit in very well with the industrial architecture of the building”, says Egger.

Close collaboration between the architectural firm, the metal construction experts from Huber Kontech and the Forster consulting team resulted in maximum transparency with minimal profile faces.

Balancing aesthetics, function and energy efficiency

In addition to the filigree design, the functional properties of the systems used also impressed. Doors with the robust forster unico profile system were used on the ground floor. Made from 100% recyclable steel, the profiles combine high heat insulation with narrow face widths. The forster unico xs profile system was chosen for the fixed glazing, which enables particularly filigree constructions with face widths from 23 millimetres. The metal constructor realised the sloping facades on the top floor and the glazing on the sawtooth roof using the forster thermfix vario Hi curtain wall system. The 45-millimetre-wide steel profiles offer passive house-level heat insulation (efficiency class phA). In total, more than 1,000 glass elements were installed – the high load-bearing capacity of the Forster profiles also enabled large-surface glazing. A deep-matte powder coating with fine texture gives the elements a high-quality, robust finish that matches the industrial style.

The new building is also committed to sustainability when it comes to building technology. A photovoltaic system on the roof and a joint self-consumption (JSC) system contribute to the sustainable energy supply of the new building. Heat and cold are distributed on most floors via a thermally activated building system, supplemented by underfloor heating and cooling on the ground floor and top floor. Spacious displacement ventilation systems ensure consistently high air quality.

A place for innovation and entrepreneurship

The new building is designed as a high-grade shell and offers users maximum flexibility in terms of interior design. “Im Dock” combines industrial aesthetics, the interplay of brick, steel and glass, and a clear architectural language to create an inspiring working environment for companies with big ideas. The steel profile systems from Forster not only underscore the design vision, but also stand for energy efficiency, safety and long service life.

Rothenburg, Switzerland

Products:

forster unico thermally insulated doors on the ground floor

forster unico xs thermally insulated fixed glazing on the ground floor

Sloping facades on the top floor with thermfix vario Hi 45

thermfix vario Hi 45 sawtooth roof glazing on the top floor

Architecture: Egger Architektur GmbH, Lucerne, Switzerland

Metal constructor: Huber Kontech AG, Switzerland

Client: Kreativformat AG, Switzerland

Photography: Huber Kontech AG, Switzerland