2226 Emmenweid, Emmenbrücke - Switzerland

About the project

The name “2226 Emmenweid” comes from the building technology concept, which ensures a stable indoor temperature between 22 and 26 degrees Celsius. The new four-storey building designed by Baumschlager Eberle Architekten in Emmenbrücke, Switzerland, stands out with its light lime plaster and regular arrangement of generous windows set deep in the walls. Its bulk is emphasised by a hipped roof with flush edges. A recessed section in the façade creates a striking horizontal line that gives structure to the massive block and establishes a relationship with the neighbouring buildings.

The floor plan concept is simple and designed to accommodate a wide variety of uses. The inner core contains stairs, sanitary facilities and kitchenettes. This is surrounded by a broad multipurpose area with no load-bearing partition walls that can be flexibly configured for different uses. The wall construction consists of two layers of bricks, each 36.5 cm thick: one is a load-bearing and insulating wall, the other is insulation. Unfilled large brick blocks were used, which ensure efficient vapour diffusion and have a high thermal mass that contributes significantly to the stability of the indoor climate.

In addition to its spatial and atmospheric qualities, 2226 Emmenweid demonstrates that a new way of thinking is possible in commercial office construction – a way of thinking that focuses on the factor of time in overcoming the customs of the mechanical age: a long service life and year-round as well as all-day climate stability.

" The building works without heating, ventilation technology. 2226 means that we have an indoor temperature in the building from 22 to 26 degrees. "