{"id":7552,"date":"2018-10-25T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-25T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/architizer.wpengine.com\/architectural-details-herzog-de-meuron-ricola\/"},"modified":"2022-06-01T02:58:19","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T06:58:19","slug":"architectural-details-herzog-de-meuron-ricola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/stories\/architectural-details-herzog-de-meuron-ricola\/","title":{"rendered":"Herzog & de Meuron’s Humble Masterpiece"},"content":{"rendered":"

The judging process for <\/i>Architizer's 14th A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a> is now underway. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive updates about Public Voting, and stay tuned \u2014 winners will be announced later this spring. \u00a0<\/i><\/i><\/p><\/p>\n

Some say that to define the future, one must study the past. When designing projects with fiber cement cladding \u2014 trust us, this is important \u2014 it is valuable to check out precedent case studies where the ever-popular material has been used to create unexpectedly iconic architecture.<\/p>\n

Take Herzog & de Meuron\u2019<\/a>s storage building in Laufen, Switzerland, created for beloved Swiss brand Ricola<\/a>. The Basel-based firm created a fully automated warehouse<\/a> for the natural cough drop and breath mint manufacturer that features a rhythmic fa\u00e7ade wrapped in gray panels of evolving heights. Their vision for the 31,200-square-foot structure, which was built in 1987, set off a new trend in purposefully exposed exterior architecture.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts contours create an impression that the structure could have been constructed from a \u2018do-it-yourself\u2019 kit,\u201d wrote Martin Steinmann on the company\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Image via a f a s i aarchzine<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

The project was given to a young Herzog & de Meuron by the Richterich family, who founded the company. In total, the design team produced seven buildings for Ricola spread out among their Laufen headquarters and Brunstatt, France. Not only did the Ricola commission grant them international fame, it brought them three decades of work. Ricola believes<\/a> their Laufen site simultaneously mirrors the evolution of Herzog & de Meuron\u2019s design language as it\u2019s grown over time and represents the company\u2019s high-quality product standards.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Left Image by Mona Elamin<\/a>; right image via a f a s i aarchzine<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

The Laufen warehouse, in particular, stands as a testament to the architects\u2019 brilliant use of fiber cement cladding. With a steel frame measuring 164 feet long, 85 feet wide and 56 feet high, the building called for a robust and tight exterior envelope. The fiber cement paneling was secured to a series of structural ribs that protrude from the framework, which is cast on solid rock foundations. Bonded timber posts were fixed to the ribs to help them bear the weight of the outer cladding.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Model of Ricola Storage Building; image via from here to (there)<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

The horizontal panels were bolted onto the structure and laid flat or slightly angled, increasing the width and optical weight of the warehouse as it slopes upward. These untreated Eternit panels \u2014 the industry-standard fiber cement material pioneered by EQUITONE<\/a> \u2014 are larger at the top of the building than the bottom. They are stacked in three zones of five layers that measure 1.38 feet, 2.76 feet and 4.13 feet, respectively, thus resulting in a \u201cshuttered\u201d fa\u00e7ade that disorients the viewer and looks as though it could break apart or collapse at the slightest touch.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Left image via ConcretePencil<\/a>; right image via <\/i>a f a s i aarchzine<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

The design is a nod to the stacks of cardboard boxes inside the facility but is also a reference to planks piled to dry and the shelving in the new hall, according to Herzog & de Meuron. Contrary to the belief of many, the project proved that fiber cement can be extremely durable when correctly detailed as well as being beautiful in its raw state. In this instance, it made for a unique cladding system that also protects the structure\u2019s yellow thermal insulation, which is visible via the open panel pattern.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Image via Coroflot<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Even after 35 years in existence, the building\u2019s distinctive envelope remains a standout fa\u00e7ade that inherently highlights its own construction. Given the strength of the project, its legacy as a fiber cement masterpiece and its prominence for both the architects and the client, Ricola\u2019s storage building will always be a great material case study in contemporary architecture.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Image via A Daily Dose of Architecture<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

To learn more about Herzog & de Meuron\u2019s use of fiber cement cladding and other materials on their various projects for Ricola \u2014 including their Kr\u00e4uterzentrum<\/a> herb facility, which features loam walls \u2014 check out their manifesto Seven Buildings 1983 \u2013 2014<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The judging process for <\/i>Architizer's 14th A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a> is now underway. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive updates about Public Voting, and stay tuned \u2014 winners will be announced later this spring. \u00a0<\/i><\/i><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 35-year-old structure is still the epitome of a fantastic fiber cement technique.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"architizer_featured_type":"projects","architizer_featured_image":"2154272","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[],"architizer_project":[],"architizer_brand":[],"architizer_firm":[],"architizer_product":[],"class_list":["post-7552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration","category-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHerzog & de Meuron's Humble Masterpiece - Architizer Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/stories\/architectural-details-herzog-de-meuron-ricola\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Herzog & de Meuron's Humble Masterpiece - 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