Weleda Logistic & Production Center, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany

Weleda Logistic & Production Center

The Weleda company, manufacturer of natural cosmetics and anthroposophic medicines, is planning a new Logistic Center as the cornerstone of the new Weleda Campus on the outskirts of Schwäbisch Gmünd on the "Gügling". The project is intended to be a lighthouse project for sustainable industrial real estate that ensures optimal workplace qualities for employees and an energy-neutral CO2 balance in operation. As with the Weleda product, the company's project clearly stands out from comparable projects in terms of its ecological quality. The additional costs shows their commitment to this investment.

The building structure arrangement with the High-Bay Warehouse set back from the functional building clearly demonstrates this approach, thus allowing as much daylight as possible to enter the functional building.

Another goal was to situate the Logistic Center on the "Gügling" and to embed it in the landscape. The clayey subsoil of the Alb foothills that will be released during excavation, is ideal for building rammed earth walls. A room with rammed earth walls as exposed surfaces naturally controls humidity.The material buffers moisture, absorbs it from the air and releases it to drier air. Rammed earth makes it possible to meet GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) requirements without an air handling system. On top of that, this material evokes a strong local identity.

With view to the CO2 balance of the building materials, the High-Bay Warehouse is constructed entirely in timber, with wooden shelving and walls, above the eight-meter-high rammed earth wall, the "natural air conditioner". Wood is also used intensively as a building material for the administration building and the functional building in areas that do not have too high traffic loads or are adjacent to the ground.

A reversible heat pump ensures a CO2-free heat and cold supply from a geothermal system. The electricity necessary throughout the year, as well as the entire operating current of the buildings including the electricity of the logistics systems, is generated via roof- and façade-integrated photovoltaic systems with a collection area of approx. 10,000 m².

A water management system with rainwater cistern, graywater system and infiltration areas minimizes the amount of rainwater runoff. With approximately 20% of the 72,000 m² site sealed off for buildings and traffic access, Weleda will plant gardens and orchards on the property, improving local biodiversity and creating a habitat for plants and animals. This has been confirmed by the local city council including permission to omit green roofs and thus enable the maximum solar power potential.

Video by Weleda & Michelgroup >