Heilbronn

Innovation factory 2.0

The Innovation Factory 2.0 is to be built at a very prominent location in Heilbronn, between the WTZ tower and Neckaruferpark. It is a five-storey timber hybrid building with a distinctive timber and glass façade. It forms the prelude and conclusion on the banks of the Neckarpark and at the same time a harmonious ensemble with the existing building. Strengthening the urban development concept, the spatial edge to the Neckar is incorporated. The visual axis to the existing science and technology center is kept free, so that a generous green center is formed in a triad with the hotel.

Photo @Waechter + Waechter Architekten BDA

The glassy, transparent appearance of the square structure on all sides, without a front or rear, corresponds to the guiding principle of the innovation factory. The sustainable, resource-saving timber construction is visible from afar, the logic of the construction determines the appearance and becomes an identity-creating recognition feature. Instead of dark corridors, bright, light-flooded communication and meeting zones around a central hall invite the inventors of the start-ups, founders, coworkers and creative workers to cross-pollinate and inspire each other. These open zones are think tanks and lounges for working and exchanging ideas. The hall forms the center and allows easy orientation. All the workstations in the rooms of different sizes are located on the upper floors in a ring around this communal heart, oriented towards the outside with different but attractive views and thus optimally lit.

The room proportions allow a wide variety of concepts as open office landscapes, but also as combined and cellular offices. Inside, a friendly and stimulating atmosphere is created as a prerequisite for pleasant working – alone and in a group. The glazing between the offices and the communication zones provides views, encourages interaction and supports the intended workshop-like character; curtains allow varying degrees of transparency. The event room is located on the top floor with an impressive view of the Neckar. The tenants’ storage rooms are economically located in the basement. When arriving or waiting in front of the elevators, everyone has a generous view across the hall to the different floors without disturbing the break areas. The two cores house the additional sanitary areas, technical and storage rooms. The two necessary escape staircases are located with a small air space on the facades. The communicative meeting zones in the interior are complemented by the new open space for communal use. From here, access is via the transparent entrance, protected from the weather, via the vestibule with integrated service point directly into the central entrance hall in the atrium. The conference room, which is oriented along the Neckar and can also be used externally, opens up to the pedestrian promenade like a shop window and allows a view of the work in the innovation center.

Next to it are the workshop rooms, which can also be used for meetings, as well as the workshops, which can optionally be connected with partition walls (can be accessed via doors from the west) with the associated offices. All areas on the ground and upper floors can also be used by people with motor or sensory impairments.

The sober, unagitated simplicity defines the external appearance, which blends confidently into the heterogeneous context and expresses the innovative, experimental start-up character.

Photo @Waechter + Waechter Architekten BDA

Photo @Waechter + Waechter Architekten BDA

Photo @Waechter + Waechter Architekten BDA

Fire protection
The floor areas are divided into two separate usage units (<400 m2), each independently connected to the two emergency staircases. This means that the meeting areas can be used in a variety of ways without fire protection requirements and the façades around the inner hall can only be designed as smoke protection. Due to the composite concrete, the floor slabs are verifiable in F60.

Supporting structure
The timber construction is designed as a skeleton structure with point-supported ceilings consisting of columns or walls, beams and a timber-concrete composite ceiling filling the primary framework. The wood wool lightweight panels laid between the beams are effective in terms of room acoustics (including low frequencies) and also serve as lost formwork for the over-concrete placed on site. Beams and formwork are prefabricated in the factory in transportable sizes as elements. The composite concrete is only applied after the timber construction assembly has been completed.

Energy concept
The compact building disposition developed from the urban planning and functional concept ensures minimal transmission heat losses due to the very favorable A/V ratio. The low land consumption and the resulting low sealing of the areas makes ecological sense and is sustainable in the best sense in terms of possible expansion and redensification.
The energy concept combines structural (passive) measures with efficient system technology. Heat is supplied to the entire building complex via a reversible heat pump system, which also supplies the building with cooling water. The indoor units of the heat pumps are placed together with the buffer storage tanks and the heating and cooling distribution in the plant room in the basement. Heating circuit distributors are connected in the floors in a 4-pipe system. The ClimaLevel Multiboden is used to heat, cool and ventilate the offices and common areas. The supply air duct integrated into the floor ensures effective use of the storage mass of the screed and low temperature differences in both heating and cooling mode. This guarantees efficient operation of the heat pump in all operating states. In cooling mode, the supply air is dehumidified before it enters the floor system in order to prevent condensation in the floor itself.
The supply air volume flow was determined to be approx. 20 m3/h person. In total, this results in an air center with an output of 16,500 m3/h.