Rubner builds the highest timber office building in South Tyrol, Italy

The green isle

The basic concept defines the new EKOS headquarter as a "green island in an industrial area". The clearly formulated desire to construct an ecologically valuable building leads directly to the decision to use timber as a renewable and natural, structural building material. The material can both absorb and release moisture through the air, thus improving the indoor climate in the office premises. And the antibacterial effect of wood (according to recent studies, bacteria do not survive 24 hours on dry wooden surfaces) is also a valuable property that is particularly beneficial in a busy working environment. Even at the end of its useful life, timber as a natural building material does not produce any further waste, but can be further used as a raw material or thermally recycled. In addition, the 500 m3 of engineered structural timber used in this building store 500 t of CO2 in the long term.

Strong visible contrast

Timber also plays a strong role in the exterior, as the extreme conditions of the location impact on the high requirements of the façade. The spruce cladding produced and erected by Rubner presents itself to the outside as a purposefully carbonized wood façade. Carbonization is an old technique of wood preservation that makes the material resistant to weathering and pests. The natural black coloration also forms an architecturally exciting contrast to the green façade in front, which consists of living climbing plants. As a natural sunshade, it reduces the building's technical cooling requirements, protects the building fabric from UV radiation and filters fine dust from the ambient air of the industrial area.