Wood as construction material for the new headquarters of the TIROLER VERSICHERUNG (Tyrolean Insurance Group) - 220 m² of green facade, 162 plant troughs, 13 trees in the inner courtyard and 625 m² of roof gardens - this inner-city green oasis is definitely a prime example of sustainable construction.
The new timber building erecting in the middle of Innsbruck's city center is necessary because an increase in the height of the old building structure is out of the question, both economically and from a structural engineering point of view.
The new wood construction is to be expanded and is set to be a showcase project for modern, ecological and sustainable construction: it is energy-efficient, with a high proportion of regional building materials and the smallest ecological footprint possible. Due to its exposed inner-city location, the headquarters enjoys a special status in the public perception. However, it also places high demands on the urban and architectural quality of the planned building.
"We are realizing the first timber office building in Innsbruck with 220 m² of green facade - thus saving CO2 and contributing to cooling down the city center."
- Franz Mair, Executive Board Director of TIROLER.
The building was designed by the Innsbruck-based architecture office DIN A4 Architektur. "The special challenge for us was to harmonize the urban character of the building, modern working environments and ecological construction. We chose clear forms and an open space concept. The roof gardens with a total of 625 m² of green space are exceptional," explains Conrad Messner, CEO of DIN A4.
The demolition of the old building starts in April 2022 and is expected to be completed as early as June. After concreting the basement and first floor, the construction of the timber building will proceed.
"In addition to the ecological aspect, building with wood has numerous advantages. For instance, many dust- and noise-intensive work steps are eliminated. The construction time is also significantly shorter than with conventional urban construction. We will move back into the building as early as 2024,"
- says Georg Gridling, Head of Real Estate at TIROLER.
"This building will significantly contribute to the revitalization of the city center - small stores and lots of greenery, which provides cooling, especially in summer. Definitely a positive example that hopefully many other businesses will follow," declared Mayor Georg Willi.
The city of Innsbruck is officially one of seven Early Adopter Cities of the Build-in-Wood project. This and other new wood buildings display that the goals of the Build-in-Wood project to make wood a natural choice of building material for the construction of multi-storey buildings are put into practice.
Project facts:
Architect: DIN A4 Architektur
Location: Innsbruck, Austria
Construction: April 2022-2024
Gross floor area: 13.150 m²
Foto Credits: DIN A4 Architektur
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