Pharmaceutical building Weleda Weiden

Starting situation

The pharmaceutical supervisory authority had already issued a recommendation some time previously that the production of medicine should be modernised and adapted to the latest GMP standards.
During the planning phase, the scope of the project increased constantly. The resulting extension of the assignment also included the erection of an administration building, the expansion of the logistics and a central entrance and public building with factory outlets and lecture hall.

Two overriding objectives were laid down for the planning. On the one hand, cost-conscious and sustained design in a good and natural quality; on the other hand, modern construction forms without quotes from anthroposophic architecture but including retention of the anthroposophic attitude of mind and the basic values of Weleda "Man in harmony with nature".

Functions

The project realised is divided into three functionally separate new building parts and one extension building. In detail, these are:

A two-storey orange extension for the logistics division on the northern side of the existing warehouse building,

A four-storey red, new pharmaceutical building with laboratories and production areas for the manufacture of the medicine,

A five-storey blue administration building,

A single-storey forum and connection building with the main entrance and the public-orientated functions.

The complex is rounded off by the ornamental garden. Here, visitors can see numerous medicinal plants used in the production of medicine and cosmetics.

Design expression and materialisation

The ecology and economy parameters laid down by Weleda were placed at the forefront when preparing the form of the buildings and the materialisation of the facades, whilst avoiding false artificiality.
The new buildings are in part connected to the existing cosmetics and warehouse building which reflects the language of anthroposophic architecture. To the south and west is an adjacent green outer area. The remainder of the surrounding area consists of individual industrial buildings in various sizes and materialisation.

Slight refraction of the building lines, the facade panelling in various colours of wood and the window design give the buildings their own identity compared with the extended surroundings as well as conflicting relations to one another and to the outer areas.
The activities in the building are expressed outwardly by the different window arrangements and colours.

The terrain which slopes slightly down towards the river Birs is recognisable by the continuous base floor encased in concrete. Rising above this are the three building structures encased in wood and the extension building, each in turn in the assigned colours. Red for the pharmaceutical division, natural for the forum, blue for the administration and orange for logistics.
Inside the building the colour concept is continued in the hall areas.