Austrian facade specialist Rieder has completed construction of a groundbreaking production hall at its headquarters in Maishofen, Austria, featuring over 1,300 square meters of timber construction. The innovative facility represents a significant expansion of the company's manufacturing capabilities while showcasing sustainable building practices through its unique timber-hybrid design approach.
Designed by architecture practice Kessler, the hall utilizes a sophisticated combination of wood and concrete materials to optimize the performance characteristics of both. The company selected concrete for its exceptional durability and fire-protective qualities, while wood was chosen for its environmental benefits and warm aesthetic appeal. This strategic material combination creates what Rieder describes as a high-performance, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly construction method.
"Together, they form a high-performance, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly construction method that has been exemplarily implemented in this project," stated Rieder. "Through the intelligent interplay of the two materials, a building has been created that is technically convincing, sets ecological benchmarks and at the same time offers a high quality of stay."
The new production facility serves to expand Rieder's manufacturing capacity, seamlessly connecting to the company's two existing facilities at the headquarters site. Wolfgang Rieder, the company owner, emphasized the project's broader impact on the local economy and workforce. "The overall architectural concept supports a modern working environment," he explained. "With the completion of the second timber-hybrid hall, we were able to create numerous new jobs and strengthen the region as a business location."
One of the building's most striking features is its ceiling design, which incorporates 180 geometrical timber pyramids specifically engineered to maximize natural light distribution. According to Rieder, this innovative ceiling system creates optimal working conditions while establishing a harmonious spatial concept throughout the production environment. The geometric pyramid design not only serves functional purposes but also contributes to the building's distinctive architectural character.
To ensure optimal working conditions within the production space, the facility includes advanced environmental control systems. A sophisticated humidification system has been installed to reduce dust exposure, improve air quality, and maintain optimal humidity levels throughout the production hall. These features demonstrate the company's commitment to creating a healthy and comfortable work environment for its employees.
The building's exterior showcases Rieder's commitment to sustainability through the use of "scrapcrete," an innovative cladding material created from offcuts generated during the company's production of glass fiber reinforced concrete. This approach repurposes waste materials that would otherwise be discarded, giving them new design value and aesthetic purpose. The scrapcrete material was developed through a collaboration with design studio Certain Measures, utilizing cutting-edge data-driven generative design techniques.
The development of scrapcrete represents a revolutionary approach to facade design and material utilization. Rather than following traditional design processes that begin with creating a design and then producing necessary components, scrapcrete starts with existing leftover materials. "Scrapcrete follows a radically new design approach: instead of the usual process of creating a design first and then producing the necessary components, the process here starts with what already exists – the so-called leftover materials," explained the company.
This innovative approach, operating under the motto "creating from what you have," not only reduces waste but also develops entirely new design languages. The use of digital technologies fundamentally rethinks the design process based on available resources, demonstrating how material constraints can be transformed into creative opportunities. The generative design techniques analyze and record production leftovers, creating project-specific facade designs that give waste materials new life and aesthetic purpose.
According to Rieder, the invention and implementation of scrapcrete has achieved significant environmental and economic benefits for the company. The innovation has substantially reduced the company's waste output while simultaneously establishing a new, high-quality cladding material for architectural applications. "The result is not only a significant reduction of waste volume but also a high-quality architectural language that fuses sustainability, functionality and aesthetics – demonstrating how material scarcity can be turned into creative diversity," the company stated.
The completed timber-hybrid hall represents more than just an expansion of production capacity; it serves as a demonstration of how innovative design approaches can address environmental challenges while creating functional, aesthetically pleasing architecture. The project exemplifies the potential for construction industry leaders to pioneer sustainable building practices that benefit both their operations and the broader environment, setting new standards for responsible manufacturing facility design.
