Project Name

Ricola Kräuterzentrum (Ricola herb center)

Files

Project Location

Laufen, Switzerland

Year of Completion

2014

Building Type

Industrial

Building Massing

Low Rise

Project Architect

Herzog & de Meuron

Student Author

Tian Lan

Climate

Temperate oceanic climate

Application

Wall

Material and its Properties

Clay, marl, and material excavated on site are mixed and compacted in a formwork and then layered in blocks to build the walls. Thanks to the plasticity of the loam, the seams can be retouched giving the overall structure a homogeneous appearance. To arrest erosion caused by wind and rain, a trass mortar achieved mixing volcanic tuff (trass) with lime, is compacted every 8 layers of the earth directly in the formwork.

Architect Website

https://www.herzogdemeuron.com

Other Sources

https://www.archdaily.com/634724/ricola-krauterzentrum-herzog-and-de-meuron

Environmental Response

Earth as a material that regulates humidity has a positive, sustainable effect on the use of energy and overall climate control.

Recommended Citation

Herzog & de Meuron, "Ricola Kräuterzentrum (Ricola herb center)" (2014). Building Case Studies. 355.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/bcs/355