Schmidt Architects from Kenzingen were awarded the contract for the architectural and engineering services for the new building of the Häfele group of companies on the Nagolder Wolfsberg

The office Schmidt Architekten und Planungsgesellschaft mbH from Kenzingen has been commissioned as architects and general planners for the large-scale project of the Häfele group of companies in Nagold. In the course of this comprehensive construction project, a building complex is being created with high technological demands on the building construction and energy management, which segments the different, sometimes massive building volumes and creatively brings them together as a collage. In this way, the industrial building and the adjoining visitor center become an independent architectural language for the new building ensemble of the fittings specialist Häfele. With a transparent “Skywalk”, which connects the visitor and academy building at a central point with the new logistics and shuttle system with state-of-the-art conveyor technology, the working world of Häfele is to be made accessible to guests and visitors. “We are grateful and proud” that the ideas and drafts of our architect’s office have won the trust of the management of the Häfele company and are convinced that together with our planning partners we will make the project a success”, says the managing director Christoph Schmidt’.

The energy concept was already developed during the competition phase by the office of Schmidt Architekten from Kenzingen and is now being specified by the office of EGS-plan from Stuttgart, which was commissioned to do the building technology and building physics. The heart of the heating system is a sprinkler tank with a capacity of around 12,000 m³, which – in addition to its task of storing extinguishing water – can also serve as a seasonal buffer storage for heat and cold. It is divided into several segments with different temperature levels and feeds demand-oriented heat pump cascades to provide heating for the plant complexes. Similar to groundwater heat pumps, the heat pumps achieve very high levels of efficiency and performance. At the same time, this storage tank serves as a heat sink for the cooling requirements in the building in summer. Thanks to the storage, free cooling can be achieved all year round – a lot of electrical energy can be saved here compared to cooling from compression chillers. In addition, it is examined whether hybrid collectors can also be used with this concept. These are a mixture of solar thermal and photovoltaics and generate heat and electricity from sunlight.

The large building complex creates promising jobs and is a showcase project for innovative strength and community spirit. Among other things, consideration is being given to locating facilities that will also benefit the employees of other companies on the Wolfsberg. The international specialist for hardware technology, electronic locking systems and light is planning a visionary construction project and investing in the Black Forest headquarters in Nagold with a forward-looking entrepreneurial spirit. The company is once again making a commitment to the location, setting new standards in terms of logistics and production and securing modern and sustainable jobs for its employees. “With this construction project we are investing in the future of our company and in particular in our home base here in the Black Forest,” says company manager Sibylle Thierer. “We set the bar very high for ourselves and want to live up to our pioneering role in the industry by constantly perfecting our technological and logistics excellence and providing fresh impetus in our industry. You can be excited!“ The start of construction for the new building in the south of the existing shipping center at Nagolder Wolfsberg is at the end of 2022. The planned construction period is five years.