Sesotec Produktionshallen & Büros, Schönberg (DE)
New building,
Timber construction,
Circular construction
Client: Sesotec Immobilien GmbH + Co KG
Location: D-94513 Schönberg, Innovationsring 1
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller with MPS ARCHONIC, Stuttgart
Construction: 2023 – 2025
Area: 12,080 m²
Programme: Production hall, assembly hall, warehouse, recycling centre, lorry loading yard, offices
Photos: David Matthiessen
Team
Fredi Botz, Vinzenz Dreher, Elisabeth Graf, Samuel Hill, Marcel Janisch, Annkathrin Schumpe
Partners
project management: MPS ARCHONIC, Stuttgart
statics: Bollinger+Grohmann, Munich
general contractor: Brüninghoff Group, Heiden
building services: Lehner+Herrenbauer, Heilbronn
electrics: Schnell Ingenieure, Tuttlingen
fire protection: KAUPA Ingenieure, Windorf
landscape: logo verde, Landshut
Awards
- Industriebaupreis, Nomination
The new Sesotec company site in the Bavarian Forest shows how production facilities and offices can be designed in a contemporary architectural style and carefully integrated into the surrounding landscape. On the edge of an existing industrial park in the north of the market town of Schönberg, we worked with MPS ARCHONIC to construct an industrial and office building that responds to its location and integrates it into the design.
Sesotec is one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers of foreign object detection, separation, and analysis systems, which are used in the food industry, for example. The existing company headquarters and production facility in the Saunstein industrial park north of Schönberg has been expanded to include a modern building called Plant 2. A uniformly designed dark metal shell with long window bands conceals halls for manufacturing, assembly, product inspection, and development, as well as areas for storage and transport. An office wing for design, planning, and service is also integrated.
Timber construction and innovative ceiling elements in the office wing
The architecture follows a construction method that is as environmentally conscious and resource-efficient as possible. The office section of the building above the basement is constructed from timber. The supporting structure consists of glulam columns and composite timber-concrete ceilings. The prefabricated components are supplemented by timber frame walls. These are manufactured ex-works with integrated mineral wool insulation and pre-installed windows and delivered on time. Only the base and the stiffening access cores are made of reinforced concrete. Long window bands provide a glimpse into the bustling interior and harmonize with the omnipresent natural landscape. The structural timber construction has been deliberately left visible in the office wing, creating a warm atmosphere.
The timber-concrete composite ceiling used by the manufacturer Brüninghoff is an innovation. The connection, which can be dismantled using special screws, allows wood and concrete to be separated by type and returned to the material cycle. With the high recyclability of the components, the project takes another important step towards sustainability and circularity.
High-quality workplaces even in the industrial halls
The design follows the concept of new working environments even in the industrial halls. Window bands and skylights for natural lighting, visual connections to the office floors, and light-colored surfaces complement the design there. The three halls are constructed of reinforced concrete. Precast concrete columns serve as vertical load-bearing elements, while prestressed concrete girders serve as horizontal elements, some of which span up to 32 meters.
The roof offers ample space for photovoltaics. Supplemented by geothermal energy, the building can be operated without energy from fossil fuels. Measures for rainwater utilization complement the concept. Architecturally, the project is exemplary for sustainable, contemporary industrial construction that respects the landscape.
