A german company focused on offering a natural alternative to society through its Anthroposophic / Homeopathic medicines, also represents an outstanding model of environmental conscious architecture. The building, constructed in a record time of only 20 months, is a fine example of design and construction according to environmental building principles.
In 2002, WALA Heilmittel GmbH, the German manufacturer of Anthroposophic Medicines and Dr.Hauschka Skin Care, opened its new Production and Logistics centre in Göppingen rural district, near Stuttgart, Germany. The building, not only constructed in a record time of only 20 months, is a fine example of design and construction according to environmental building principles. The building, which houses the company’s receiving bay, warehouse, shipping and a major part of the production facility, was the largest single building project in the history of the Göppingen rural district, with a total construction`s cost of €27.6 million Euros.
Environmental friendly materials
Right from the very beginning, in the planning and design of the new centre and in the choice of materials, great emphasis was placed on an environmentally friendly building. The exterior of the building uses natural materials such as Copper, Wood from the indigenous Douglas Firs and Ceramics. Additional features include extensive roof gardens, which amount to about 90% of the roof area, and the optimal insulation of the building with mineral wool (no Styrofoam), have all resulted in the requirements of Germany’s 2nd Heat Conservation Provision to be exceeded by 30%.
Energy management system
The intelligently constructed energy management system uses several heat recovery systems. For example, the heat is removed from the warm air emitted by the ventilation system or from the waste water. A special monitoring system checks the demand for heat or cold and ensures that this demand is first met from the recovery system. In order to make the flows of energy transparent and comprehensible an overall energy and water monitoring system has been set up in which readings are registered online and recorded via the building management system (BMS). With the help of this data any technical defects that occur are immediately visible and can be continuously corrected.
For process cooling a free cooling system is used. This means that first the cooler outside air is used before the remaining cooling is performed with cold compressors or ice tanks. A comparable procedure is used for the air conditioning of the production areas. Here the air conditioning system can be operated with up to 100% outside air so that, depending on the outside temperatures, additional cooling can sometimes be dispensed with entirely. As only goods are stored in the warehouse and there are no people working there, low room temperatures are sufficient.
Water recycling system
In order to minimize the use of energy, the warehouse was sunk 3.6 meters into the ground. With the help of the resulting “cold lake” the largely constant temperature of the earth can be used for the air conditioning. The existing water cistern was expanded. The rain water, so-called grey water, rom the cisterns which now have a capacity of 430m³, is used not only for toilet flushing and for watering balcony plants but also for cooling purposes by compressors, process plants and other technical plants which would have previously been cooled with fresh drinking water.
Acoustic pollution prevention
Noise prevention is also a part of environmental protection. For this reason the ventilation and cooling plants are fitted with sound insulation that keeps the noise emission to below 45 dB(A).
In order to counter soil sealing, open paving blocks are used for all fire brigade access roads and car park areas. In addition, nesting boxes for bats were put up on the outer façade of the high-bay warehouse.
The turquoise-coloured roof of the new annex behind the main production and logistics centrehas only been visible for a few weeks. And yet its shape and colour fit seamlessly into the overall picture of the building complex.Six years after completing their previous expansion, WALA has again created the much needed additional room for production and staff. At approximately 18 million Euros, the costs for the five-storey building remained well within budget, and the building was completed on time and was constructed with the same attention to detail in design, use of materials and the buildings impact on the environment, as they have done with all their buildings.
WALA Heilmittel GmbH is a very peculiar company, which not only is focused on offering a natural alternative to society through its Anthroposophic/Homeopathic medicines and natural skin care products, but also represents an outstanding model of environmental conscious architecture.
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