Reinventing Timber Building
Handl Gastro Service
A global first in timber building plus energy efficient operations: The new building for Markus Handl Beteiligung GmbH combines innovation and sustainability.
In view of its existing potential for growth, Markus Handl Beteiligung GmbH commissioned us to integrally design an important production facility in Pians in Tyrol. The new complex should offer production and office areas, restaurant and retail space. The project was notable for its commitment to sustainability and innovation from day one.
Reinventing timber building
The large, rustically designed sales and gastronomic area offered us the opportunity to realize a special timber building prototype: In order to create a smooth and level ceiling soffit and avoid the usual upstand and downstand beams, our structural engineers calculated and designed a 650-m2 timber slab that was the largest column-supported cross-laminated timber slab to date, worldwide.
This was made possible by two innovations that we combined perfectly and were able to realize on the ground in cooperation with the South Tyrolean company Rothoblaas Srl and the Swiss company Timber Structures 3.0 AG as well as the University of Innsbruck. The system is also optically convincing: The timber slab effectively covers the entire space – uninterrupted by a single beam.
In this project, our integrated design approach proved to be hugely beneficial. We worked hand in hand with the specialist trades on the digital twin of the building as a means of jointly and successful mastering every challenge – such as the sloping site or the assembly of the column-supported timber slab.
Bettina May
Architect, Lead Project Manager in Innsbruck
Energy-efficient operations
We designed one of Tyrol’s largest subsidized photovoltaic plants, whose 1,000 panels should meet around 25 % of the entire electricity required by the building complex. This necessitated the carrying out of a detailed study during the design phase in order to optimize the “harvest” of sunlight in the narrow Pians basin. It was decided to maximize the coverage of the roofs with east-west oriented panels and to minimize maintenance distances. The internal consumption level of almost 100 % means that the plant offers optimal conditions for sustainable energy production.
Divided in two
The new building is located on a slope and functionally and optically divided into two building elements and levels. The ground floor contains the production und storage areas. The “clean” silvery aluminum facade enables these functions to be identified from outside and hints at the high hygiene standards in the interior. The large upper floor is used for offices, meeting rooms, a canteen, and the sales and restaurant area, with its fully-equipped kitchen. In reference to a traditional “Speckalm,” this upper floor has a curtain facade of vertical timber cladding, which combines with the glazing of the sales area.
