Brumov-Bylnice, Czech Republic
Embodying the guiding principles of sustainable design, Mjölk Architekti and landscape architects Atelier Partero were commissioned to design the new headquarters of Kloboucká lesní, a management company for sustainable forestry, in Brumov-Bylnice, Czech Republic.
Featuring a large triangular space where all program elements are distributed on four levels, the building was designed to adhere to the principles of sustainable design and demonstrate the potential of sustainable construction.
Current environmental thinking, the untapped potential of an environmental approach to building construction, and further opportunities and challenges awaiting our future, all manifest themselves in the new building.
Finding inspiration in the ways of our ancestors, but also exploring new technologies and possibilities.
In a field that is not commonly associated with innovation or bravery, the company identifies itself as progressive and creative.
Their new headquarters building will represent these values.
With its various activities, the mission of Kloboucká lesní is to demonstrate the potential of sustainable construction – using a holistic environmental approach and cutting-edge technology.
Due to a major shift in the climatic conditions of our planet, the wood industry has been going through turbulent changes recently.
Therefore, the new company headquarters has to be flexible and ready for future developments and change.
The main load-bearing structure forms a modular shell for the building, leaving the interior space free and adjustable, including contingencies for unexpected growth.
The building design shows the way for future construction projects.
Environmentally responsible, simple, and modest, but equipped with cutting-edge technology – and placed in a natural setting surrounded by vegetation and water.
The load-bearing structure is made exclusively from timber, a material that is produced on-site, in the Kloboucká lesní production hall located only a hundred meters away.
Wood is the oldest and the simplest of materials, but the production process is very modern.
As a flagship product of the company portfolio, glued laminated timber was used for the building frame.
Repeated many times, the traditionally shaped frame forms an elongated and elegant volume.
A prominent location was chosen for the headquarters inside the factory compound.
The north-facing façade is oriented toward the town and the visitors’ entrance.
The volume of the building conceals other industrial halls of the compound, while a beautiful backdrop of the Pláňavský ridge can be seen in the distance.
The building is a combination of contemporary technical solutions and common sense.
The load-bearing structure uses a glued laminated timber frame, a concrete core, and steel bracing.
There are several types of façade cladding, filling each span of the frame according to the interior spatial and programmatic organization.
The modular structure provides a great variability of use, even in case of future changes in function.
The wooden structure is made predominantly from glued laminated timber manufactured only about a hundred meters from the site.
This timber comes predominantly from the surrounding forests.
Both color and grain of the wood were considered when picking the best lumber, and therefore the best forest for felling.
The building’s PV array produces enough energy to meet its requirements. In fact, the majority of all electronic equipment in the compound is using solar power at the moment.
The headquarters’ solar panels also double as a roofing material.
Glass panels cover the northern part of the roof to let more light into the attic space.
Rainwater roof runoff is stored in open ponds and used for irrigation and for cooling during the summer months.
By reflecting the diffused daylight, the water surface also helps bring light deeper into the building.
The source for heating the building and the whole area is the central boiler house, where the main fuel is wood chips of own production.
This makes the site completely independent of any other fuel source.
The added value is that it is a completely ecological source.
Project: Kloboucká lesní Headquarters
Architects: Mjölk Architekti
Landscape Architecture: Atelier Partero
Structural Engineering: Lostade CZ
Construction Supervision: Petr Vlček
Concrete Contractor: Michal Drga
Wooden Construction Contractor: Pukýš DŘEVOSTAVBY
Client: Kloboucká lesní
Photographer: BoysPlayNice
