The architect Hermann Kaufmann, who is known for his innovative timber structures, was commissioned by the Wagner concern to design its office extension in Vorarlberg, Austria. Against all expectations, the client wanted a facade of facing bricks. Only internally is the load-bearing timber structure visible, which comes as something of a surprise. The seemingly thick outer enclosure consists, in fact, of prefabricated curtain-wall elements.
The client company itself, which specializes in the production of chrome-steel components, supplied the dark-coloured steel window frames. In contrast to previous buildings by Kaufmann, such as the LCT tower and the Illwerke Centre, bolted timber-and-concrete composite floors were developed here that could be simply assembled and dismantled. The concrete slabs and the timber elements are delivered separately in a compact form and joined together directly by carpenters on site. Sleeves cast into the precast concrete components allow for precise and structurally effective bolted connections with the timber beams – at an optimal angle. The fully threaded bolts, with tips capable of boring into wood, are inserted in the sleeves in the 10 cm concrete slabs and screwed directly into the beams.
The client company itself, which specializes in the production of chrome-steel components, supplied the dark-coloured steel window frames. In contrast to previous buildings by Kaufmann, such as the LCT tower and the Illwerke Centre, bolted timber-and-concrete composite floors were developed here that could be simply assembled and dismantled. The concrete slabs and the timber elements are delivered separately in a compact form and joined together directly by carpenters on site. Sleeves cast into the precast concrete components allow for precise and structurally effective bolted connections with the timber beams – at an optimal angle. The fully threaded bolts, with tips capable of boring into wood, are inserted in the sleeves in the 10 cm concrete slabs and screwed directly into the beams.