Werkhalle AWEL Andelfingen

It is what it is. The timber is finished, inside and out. The design stance is one of restraint. The essential themes arise from a reflective gaze. Additions are few, almost none. Strength lies in the material, in the form, in the combination and in reflection. Simplicity is not banal.

The new workshop hall for AWEL in Andelfingen is set within a gently shaped landscape, embedded between fields, river, and existing infrastructure. The building volume integrates quietly into its surroundings, adopting the scale of agricultural structures and presenting a clear, unpretentious presence through its simple form. The hall is positioned to respect existing paths and uses while enabling a functional workflow.

The project is conceived as a contemporary evolution of traditional building typologies. Its fundamental attitude is one of modesty and simplicity: not a representative building, but a robust working tool whose architectural language reflects the activity of its users. The volume appears as a reserved solitary structure that does not dominate the landscape but enters dialogue with it.

Constructively, the workshop hall relies on solid timber. The structure consists of rhythmically placed timber frames that span the large interior and remain legible in their logic. This construction is both functional and atmospheric: the regular rhythm lends calm order to the interior, while the material brings warmth and tactility into the working day. The massive construction ensures robustness and durability, while at the same time enabling ecological building with a regional character.

The façades are intentionally kept simple. Horizontal timber cladding and large-format gates define the appearance and make the hall recognizable as a place of work. Openings are functionally arranged to support flexible use of the interior and to optimize operational flows. Inside, the structure remains exposed, creating an authentic and unpretentious spatial atmosphere.

Overall, the workshop hall stands for an architecture of appropriateness. It refrains from stylistic effects, focusing instead on functionality, simplicity, and permanence. In its plainness and robustness, it contributes to the identity of the place and demonstrates that even an everyday utilitarian building can achieve architectural quality through careful conception and precise execution.

The AWEL workshop hall in Andelfingen regrows in Switzerland in just 18 minutes.

Client: Baudirektion des Kantons Zürich

Planning: Rossetti+Wyss Architekten, Lüchinger Meyer Partner AG, Zürcher Elektroplanungen AG, Friedli Partner AG, Bachmann Stegemann + Partner AG

Photos: © Jürg Zimmermann

Video: Erne Holzbau AG

Volume: 5175 m3

Cost: CHF 1.4 Mio.