A wooden building with filigree supports
05.06.2023
The new apartment building in Buchs AG combines the advantages of timber construction and solid construction. The wooden floor slabs, which are only 39 centimeters thick, rest on filigree supports - beams are not necessary. Thus, the large rooms and window fronts are not impaired by disturbing cross beams. This is possible thanks to TS3 technology.
On the periphery of the Aargau municipality of Buchs, between railroad tracks and neighborhood streets, there is a small plot of land, or rather a residual area. Exactly at this location, the municipal boundaries divide the parcel into three (!) different zones. At first sight, a development of this remaining area seemed almost hopeless. With these general conditions in mind, the architects Andreas Marti & Partner Architekten AG developed a floor plan that is organized in a triangular shape according to the property boundaries.
TS3 technology with slim floor slabs
The three-story apartment building was once planned as a solid construction. However, the client and the planning team were persuaded by the advantages of timber construction. Today, there is a building that combines the advantages of timber construction and solid construction. This is possible thanks to TS3 technology. You can find out more about this technology at www.ts3.biz. As is usual in solid construction, the building is built as a column-and-slab construction. Simply made of wood. The floor slabs, which are only 39 centimeters thick, rest on filigree columns; beams are not necessary. This gives the building a light appearance and the large window fronts are not impaired by disturbing cross beams.
Images: Andreas Marti & Partner Architekten AG
The advantages of the timber construction method are clearly visible and noticeable: The stately building was erected in just one week. The very short construction time made it possible to dispense with costly safety measures along the railroad tracks. Inside, the colorlessly glazed wooden ceilings provide a pleasant living atmosphere. On the outside, the wooden building shines with a back-ventilated, silver-grey pigmented wooden formwork. The restrained color scheme gives the new building a contemporary architectural expression and creates associations with traditional timber construction.
Wooden escape staircase
Constructed of solid oak, the wooden staircase, which was erected just a few days before the apartments were occupied, winds upward like a spiral and connects the three-story apartments, including the basement. In apartment buildings with low height (less than 11 meters) staircases instead of RF1 (non-combustible materials) may be RF2 (hardly combustible and non-combustible materials). This is made possible by the beautiful oak staircase. It serves as an escape staircase and is mounted in a stairwell shaft made of cross-laminated timber. The cross-laminated timber is encapsulated for fire protection (covered with gypsum fiberboard).
Good sound insulation despite slim construction
The floor structure was chosen to be very slim, with a thickness of less than 40 centimeters. Six centimeters of elastically bound chippings fill and four centimeters of impact sound insulation ensure sound insulation between the apartments. Sound measurements show that the minimum requirements are clearly exceeded in the area of impact sound, and even the increased requirements are met for airborne sound.
