Ofenhalle

This facade with its delicate diagrid brick structure creates a strong identity for the new headquarter of the facade construction company Keller AG Ziegeleien. It combines craftsmanship with innovation and was finished in October 2012. In the very dense situation on the premises the facade works as a filtering element to the adjacent housing building. Digital production is expanding the traditional process of prefabrication in the building and construction industry. The production of specific elements with a high degree of differentiation is based on the methodical usage of computers for design and production.

The elements are composed of bricks with horizontal adhesive joints. This fabrication method allows completely new design possibilities for walls and facades through real 3D design by means of stone rotation and twist, open joints, vertical offsets and curvatures. This digital process manages to develop projects from design through to programming and production with robot technology. The combination of architectural design-software and robot-based production processes result in non generic, highly differentiated walls and facades which may in the end consist of a variety of materials.

Different research projects between 2008 and 2012 resulted in the development of innovative wall systems. The research team consists of Keller AG Ziegeleien and Gramazio & Kohler, architecture and digital fabrication (ETH Zurich). The partners are characterized by decades of experiences and joint developments in prefabrication of brick work with the usage of innovative technology for digital design and production processes.

Keller AG Ziegeleien

Gramazio & Kohler