PROJECT DETAILS
Forward-Thinking Work Environment: Metall-Auer's New Werk 3 Featuring WICONA Façade Construction
At the headquarters of the long-established company Metall-Auer GmbH in Wernstein am Inn, Austria, the new Werk 3 has been completed. This new complex, comprising a modern office building and a spacious production hall, impresses with its contemporary, transparent, and sustainable architecture—thanks in no small part to the façade construction from WICONA, assembled by the metalworking experts themselves.
A Company with a Clear Philosophy
Metall-Auer's extensive company history began as a water-powered forge in the 15th century. Today, this family-owned metal construction company from Upper Austria employs around 190 people and offers customers across Europe and the USA a comprehensive range of services in metal and steel construction, manufacturing technology, machining, and powder coating. High-quality products, adherence to deadlines, excellent service, and a pleasant, family-like working environment for employees all contribute to Metall-Auer's success. With this philosophy, the metal construction specialist has experienced steady growth in recent years. After establishing a second plant at the company headquarters in 2006, the owner family decided in 2020 to invest further in the future with the construction of Werk 3. Managing Director Erich Auer explains: "Due to increasing demand from our customers in the steel and metal construction sector, our existing capacities reached their limits. Additionally, we wanted to align our work processes more effectively with the growing trends of digitalisation and automation."
Combining Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics
Architects Klaus Großschartner and Martin Zellinger from the planning office Ing. Wondrak GmbH—who had already realised Werk 2—designed the approximately 73-metre-wide and 135-metre-long new complex with office and production spaces, following Erich Auer's specifications. Regarding the office building, Klaus Großschartner states: "In our design, we were inspired by the basic principle of a villa in the historical excavation site of Pompeii. All rooms there were oriented towards an inner courtyard with a water basin for natural cooling. We adopted this idea. Furthermore, we deliberately oriented the entire building to the north to prevent excessive heating of the glass façades in summer." Inside, there is a reception hall, a company restaurant, as well as office and meeting rooms. The offices each have their own balconies or terraces with access to the garden area in the courtyard. The production hall houses four areas: welding technology, logistics, sheet metal storage, and manufacturing technology, and was architecturally aligned with the adjacent production halls of Werk 2. Harmoniously integrated into the surrounding green nature, the new building also includes a heating plant for the modern woodchip system, embedded into the sloping terrain. This system allows Werk 2 and Werk 3 to be fully heated with renewable raw materials. The photovoltaic system on the roof almost entirely covers the company's electricity needs. Lastly, individually and automatically controlled ventilation and cooling systems ensure optimal room temperatures at Metall-Auer.
Transparent and Energy-Efficient Façade Design
For both the office building and the production hall, the client and planners placed great emphasis on aesthetics and transparency in the design of the building envelope. Both new buildings feature contemporary architecture, are generously glazed, and thus flooded with light. Energy efficiency and sustainability were also crucial factors in the choice of materials and construction. As experienced metal construction professionals, Erich Auer and his team wanted to plan and assemble their building's façade themselves, leading to the choice of WICONA's WICTEC 50 post-and-beam system. Erich Auer explains: "We have successfully used this system for our customers many times and are therefore aware of its high quality, reliability, and durability. Moreover, the system is very flexible and offers many customization options to meet various architectural requirements." WICTEC 50 is characterised by slim sightlines of only 50 mm inside and out and boasts excellent insulation properties, airtightness, and good sound insulation of up to 47 dB—making it ideal for Metall-Auer's needs. Additionally, the WICLINE 75 EVO door system and ARTLINE SAPA sliding elements were used in the terrace and balcony areas. Thanks to the modular concept and the combinability of the components, manufacturing and assembly could be carried out quickly, efficiently, and precisely within the tight schedule.
Collaborative Partnership Among All Parties
Erich Auer and his team are highly satisfied with the result: "As metalworkers ourselves, the collaboration between our WICONA project consultant, Josef Moser, and us was very cooperative and on equal footing. This enabled a high level of accuracy in planning and implementation."
With the completion of Werk 3, Metall-Auer now offers its employees a first-class working environment and is well-prepared for the growing market demands of the future.
