Omicron Campus, Klaus (AT)

The global electronics company Omicron set high standards for us: The ambitious goal of expanding the company headquarters in Klaus by 350 workplaces included a working environment at the highest level, which inspires creativity, promotes communication and exchange among each other and provides a feel-good atmosphere.

The new wing extends the existing building to form the “Omicron Campus”. Six internal courts, opening onto a central passage on either side, bring transparency and natural light into the center of the building. On the ground floor, foyers, meeting rooms, storage rooms and laboratories adjoin the green atriums. The offices on the two upper floors provide direct access to the wraparound balcony and the terrace on the open-sided floor. Thanks to easily movable divisions, the size of the offices can be individually modified within a few hours to fit the needs of each team. The building now enables more extensive and precise high voltage tests and product demonstrations. The new storage facilities help to keep dispatch and service times short.

In the next expansion phase, the old and new buildings are to be connected with a three-story planted communication and reception hall.

Client: Omicron electronics GmbH
Location: A-6833 Klaus, Oberes Ried 1
Architecture: Dietrich | Untertrifaller
Project management: Peter Nussbaumer, Roman Österle
Construction: 2012-2015
Area: 12,770 m²
Ecology: energy consumption 22 kWh/m²/year
Capacity: 200 working places

Awards: 2016 Austrian National Award for Architecture (nomination), 2015 ZV client’s award

Planning
statics concrete: GBD, Dornbirn / statics timber: Merz Kley Partner, Dornbirn / HAVCR: e-plus, Egg / building physics: Team GMI, Schaan / electronics: Hecht, Rankweil / lightings: Bartenbach, Aldrans / daylight hotspots: Border Architecture, Amsterdam / acoustics: Müller BBM, Planegg / sculptures hotspots: Eichinger, Vienna; Rauch, Schlins; Heringer, Laufen / photovoltaics: Sunovation, Elsenfeld

Execution
builder: ARGE Hintereger Bau + Zimmermann Bau, Bregenz / timber construction: Sohm Holzbautechnik, Alberschwende / facade, sun protection, windows: Manahl Heinrich, Bludenz-Bings / doors wood: Lenz-Nenning, Dornbirn / doors metal, glass: Tortec, Wolfsegg; Schlosserei Klocker, Dornbirn / wood sculpture Body: Zimmerei Berchtold, Schwarzenberg / electrics: Aschaber, Kitzbühel / HAVCR: Markus Stolz, Feldkirch; Gebr. Amann, Götzis / furniture: Neudörfler, Dornbirn; Reiter, Rankweil

Photos: © Bruno Klomfar, © David Matthiessen

Publications
2016 | 03 Het Houtblad Omicron Campus Klaus | 01 Holzmagazin Omicron Campus Klaus | 01 Architektur Aktuell Omicron Campus Klaus | 01 Circe Omicron Campus Klaus | 2015 | 12 kontur Omicron Campus Klaus | 11 VN Leben&Wohnen Omicron Campus Klaus | 11 Holzbau Austria Omicron Campus Klaus | 08 holzmagazin Omicron Campus Klaus

Organization in Campus Layout

L0
Section

Hotspots with accessible Spatial Sculptures

The building’s intersections, the two-story “hotspots”, were designed as meeting zones with accessible and experiencable spatial sculptures. They invite people to communicate and offer opportunities for retreat and ensure a balance between a structured work space and an open environment. Gregor Eichinger’s expansive, accessible sculpture “Body” was organically shaped with a technically demanding method using 3D milling from cross laminated timber panels.

The two-story monolith by Anna Heringer and Martin Rauch was formed layer by layer by a hand using clay construction technique.
A light counterpoint is the "Zeppelin", whose silky shell becomes a luminous body in the evening.
The skylights are clad with metal on the inside and flood the rooms with soft daylight and LED light in the dark. We developed them in cooperation with the Dutch architect Henri Borduin.

Design reflects Corporate Philosophy

The floor-to-ceiling glazed exterior and dividing walls, together with a sophisticated shading system, conjure up ideal natural lighting conditions. The rough sawed oak floor paired with silver fir wall paneling and furniture, a white metal cooling ceiling and curtains create a pleasant and appealing indoor atmosphere. A casein primer with natural pigments lends the staircases a tactile and sensuous surface.
The landscaping design focuses on the proximity to nature and is visible from the publicly accessible courtyards to the roofs, where pergolas and seating alcoves form additional communal spaces with magnificent views of the Rhine Valley.

The flat corporate hierarchy is represented by the same office cells – for cleaning staff and up to the executive floor – which can be flexibly adapted to the respective team sizes in an axis grid of 2.75 meters.

From each room there is a direct exit to the surrounding balcony zone or to the terrace on the open floor.

 

The street side photovoltaic facade of the warehouse and laboratory wing advertises the company’s corporate philosophy and values: energy, innovation, and sustainability. Highly efficient solar cells are integrated into a blue glazed façade. LED glass components in the company colors illuminate the façade at night.

Hybrid Construction

The new wing is a reinforced concrete frame with a prefabricated timber facade. The warehouse and laboratory wing featuring a photovoltaic façade acts as a noise barrier to the roadside. In addition to the foundation, the 8.25 x 9.50 m large and 36 cm thick in-situ concrete floor slabs, supported by reinforced concrete columns, presented quite a challenge for the statics.

Responsible Corporate Culture

Omicron’s corporate culture is characterized by flat hierarchies and open, transparent communication. This philosophy also characterizes the building. The basis for the project development was a strong vision, shaped by the input of all planners in an open process with many iterative steps. We clearly trusted in the power of integrative planning and the power of the team rather than the genius of the individual.

 

The Omicron Campus also sends a clear signal for the conscious use of energy and raw materials. Environmental quality was placed at the heart of this project. It was built of local and non-toxic materials such as clay and silver fir, with a hydraulic heat transfer system between the various parts of the building, elaborate solar protection devices and green patios and roofs. The street side facade is entirely covered with photovoltaic cells. The intricate interplay of a functionally sophisticated layout conjuring a pleasant ambiance and the use of both regional and international construction methods and craftsmanship with a focus on ecological materials reflects the social and sustainable corporate philosophy.