At the heart of Europe

It's all about mobility at the House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM) at Frankfurt Airport. The innovative building was made with wood/aluminum windows from Unilux - coated with Teknos products.

The House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM) in Frankfurt

If there is a right place for the topic of mobility and logistics, this is it: Airport City at Frankfurt Airport. Nowhere in the world is air, rail and road traffic so perfectly interlinked. With the House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM), the German state of Hessen and the city of Frankfurt have created a networking and innovation center for sustainable logistics and transport. The HOLM is the hub for partners from the logistics and transport sector, and brings together experts from the world of economics, science and politics. It offers space and ideal networking opportunities for application-based projects, education and further training, and specialist events.

A lot of room for encounters

The building, which was designed by renowned Frankfurt-based architectural firm Albert Speer & Partner, covers a total floor space of 17,000 square meters over six floors. As well as modern offices it also boasts seminar rooms, conference rooms and project workplaces for networked working, three lecture halls and an auditorium with 500 seats. The high proportion of common space is a special feature, which greatly helps to promote communication and cooperation. These spaces include an inviting foyer, a large, open gallery, the open lounge with rooftop terrace and, above all, the beating heart of the HOLM: the 'X-Celerator'. This stairway sculpture with levels offset on each floor links all parts of the building and offers numerous seating areas, lounges, communication forums and opportunities for refreshment - perfect for discussion and creative working.

The HOLM was opened in June 2014 after a construction period of 27 months and a total investment of 52 million euros. "Our building provides a common space for interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial cooperation between economics, science, politics and society, where cooperative ventures and project-based work can be expanded and developed," said HOLM Managing Director Oliver Kraft at the opening ceremony. The owner of the building is Frankfurt investor Lang & Cie. Partners of the HOLM include companies such as Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Post, Lufthansa and Fraport, four founding member colleges, twelve further college partners, and networking partners such as IHK-Forum Rhein-Main and Wirtschaftsförderung Frankfurt am Main.

Passive house windows from the market leader

The HOLM has a striking façade with red features and anthracite-colored window frames. The building envelope is energy-optimized to the passive house standard, and the requirements for the windows were equally exacting. The decision-makers decided to choose passive house windows from UNILUX. The installed wood/aluminum frames feature an insulated core with thermally insulated triple glazing, and achieve a U_w value of approx. 0.7. The windows are equipped with specially adapted sun protection fittings with light diverting systems, for an optimum balance between sunlight and heat input in winter.

"Each building at passive house standard has special requirements for connecting the window frames to the building," explains Christoph Herres, Design & Development Manager at UNILUX. "However, windows in large public and commercial buildings have additional functions that have to be incorporated in the units. At HOLM, these were the best thermal insulation values, noise protection, intruder protection, alarm system, and monitoring of ventilation and air conditioning. Each of these features is no problem on its own, but combining all functions was demanding."

The logistics presented a further challenge. Hundreds of window units had to be delivered on time following a tight schedule. To avoid work-intensive transport to the installation site, the units were lifted up to the individual storeys by crane while still in the skeleton phase, just before the concrete ceilings were put in place - an intelligent solution that is very apt for the construction of a logistics innovation center.

High quality standards

UNILUX is Germany's largest manufacturer of wooden windows, and has belonged to the WERU Group since 2014. At its German production sites in Rudersberg, Triptis and Salmtal, the WERU Group produces more than half a million window units and around 16,000 doors a year. The WERU (plastic and aluminum windows) and UNILUX (wood and wood/aluminum windows) brands are market leaders for house construction in their segment. The products are sold via a network of 1,350 specialist authorized dealers in Germany and Europe. The group employs over 1,200 people in total and achieved sales of 172 million euros in 2015.

UNILUX wooden and wood/aluminum windows are produced at the Salmtal production plant roughly 150 kilometers south of Cologne. With its ultramodern, computer-aided machine fleet, experienced specialists and its own teaching workshop, the company believes in combining high-tech with painstaking handiwork. Its quality standards demand maximum precision, minimal tolerances and absolute attention to detail. And this policy has been a success: in wood/aluminium and mullion-transom constructions, in particular, the UNILUX brand is currently enjoying two-digit growth.

Coating with Teknos system

The highest standards also apply to coating. Unilux windows have been coated with Teknos products since 1994. And so are the window frames in the HOLM. The pine frames are coated with three layers consisting of TEKNOL AQUA 1410 wood preservation, ANTISTAIN AQUA 2901-52 anti-stain and AQUATOP 2600 topcoat in RAL 7005 (Mouse Gray). With its outstanding wetting properties and high dry matter content, the base coat provides an ideal foundation for the final coat and provides protection against discoloration due to bleeding tannins. The block resistant AQUATOP 2600 topcoat has very good expanding and flow properties, and enables a very high quality, robust finish - perfect for the high quality standard of UNILUX windows. The external aluminum shell of the frames is coated in chromium oxide-free RAL 7005G Mouse Gray, to suit the wood.

The House of Logistics and Mobility is a typical example of a modern, sophisticated building project: intelligent use concept, innovative architecture, optimized energy efficiency and the very highest standards for technology and fittings. The UNILUX windows make a contribution to this - also with the help of high quality Teknos coatings.

www.frankfurt-holm.de
www.unilux.de
www.weru.de