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Vibrant facade illuminates Winterthur

In Winterthur, Switzerland, a multi-family housing unit has become an architectural landmark in the area. Thanks to the striking yellow colour, it’s a building that stands out from the crowd. 

Although the vibrant facade colour is now a key design element, it interestingly was not immediately clear from the beginning that the facade would even be solid, let alone so vividly coloured.

A comfortable living area

The multi-family housing development comprises a total of 45 apartments housed within 4 different apartment buildings. The choice for the yellow Rockpanel Colours is spot on if you see the buildings in their environment. As they have been sited within spacious green areas that include playgrounds, it’s a perfect place to live for families in the city of Winterthur.

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Complying with Minergie standards 

The project is notable for meeting Switzerland’s demanding Minergie standards for low-energy-consumption buildings. The design team of Bänninger + Partner Architekten investigated several material solutions for the facade including wood, glass and render, as well as several other opaque plastic options before coming across Rockpanel board material. 

Following the team’s initial inquiry about the product, the Swiss Rockpanel partner INOPAN rapidly supplied technical information, along with extensive support and a wide variety of different product samples in different colours. According to project architect Gérard Wolf, this aspect was key in helping the client decide to use this product for the project.

Building material for low-energy-consumption buildings

The architects of Bänninger + Partner Architekten had worked for a long time worked with prefabricated wood and low energy options. They were pleasantly surprised by the advantages of Rockpanel. The large format sizes of the product along with the wide colour choice available were particularly impressive to them. 

Other key benefits for the architect were the cost-efficiency, fire safety, durability and design accuracy. Gérard Wolf: ‘From a biological building perspective, the sustainability and zero-emissions/contaminant-free composition of the product is worth noting and is something that fits very well into our concepts.’ 

Quick and easy installation

Eugster Holzbau, the installer for this project, was also happy with the product thanks to the handling benefits. The lightweight properties stood out and processes such as drilling and milling were comfortably achieved.

Striking facade colour

Initially, it was planned to use a combination of different playful colours. After consultation with the client, the architects decided to use a classically uniform façade colour. The intention was clear to all: the uniform, striking façade colour should attract as much attention as possible. And one thing’s for sure: it does! The bright yellow apartment buildings have become a true landmark in Winterthur. 

Used product

20180814 RW-RP PHO 00153

Rockpanel Colours

Imagine the freedom of choosing any colour you like from an artist’s palette and then painting your building in the perfect tone of your choice. That’s the choice you have with the Rockpanel Colours range.

We manufacture board material mostly used in ventilated constructions, for facade cladding, roof detailing, soffits and fascias.