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ATP architects engineers

Swarovski Kristallfabrik, Wattens, AT

The crystal factory of the future
ATP/Bause
ATP/Bause
City
Wattens
Building type
office buildings, administration buildings, banks
building project
new building
completion
2018
material façade
metal
Swarovski is opening the ATP-designed crystal factory of the future at its Wattens base in autumn 2019. With its special “screen façade” the factory brings a special industrial-aesthetic look to the busy visitor complex.

THE BUILDING SKIN THAT CAN KEEP A SECRET
Both the striking screen-shaped glazed element and the slats that cover the entire façade are so skillfully designed that the manufacturing process of the high-quality Swarovski crystals within the 22,000 m² crystal factory remains a well-kept secret.

THE WINDOW THAT COMMUNICATES WITH THE LANDSCAPE
The eastern façade of the crystal factory is defined by the filigree glass façade of the “screen”. The dark, slender profiles and the minimal width of the mullions combine to make the individual glazed elements appear like a continuous surface that reacts to the outside world: When one drives towards the building during the day it reflects the panorama of the Inn Valley, the over-dimensional window of around 360 m2 “assimilating” the landscape in the truest sense of the word before reproducing it. At night, another spectacle appears in the “screen”: As a result of the internal glare protection and tinted panes it begins to “glow” as a means of protecting the nightshift from prying eyes.

DESIGNED AS A "DIGITAL TWIN" WITH THE HELP OF BIM
Shorter distances simplify the work. The production building brings together all the steps of the crystal production process under one roof. The resulting shorter distances herald a new way of working which was already taken into account by ATP in the logistics design of the spatial concept (RO2020). During the course of the integrated design with BIM ATP worked on both the existing and new buildings in the form of a digital model – from the initial design to the handover to the facility management.

DESIGNED AS A SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION FACILITY

The sustainably designed crystal factory meets the EU’s very high standards. The early involvement of the ATP research company ATP sustain means, for example, that the building will be 100% supplied with green electricity and heat energy will be recovered from the ventilation plant.