Fire station in Berbourg, Luxembourg

Seamless integration
The concealed-fixed wooden facade without unsightly fixings
High contrast
The interplay between dark windows and multicolored wooden elements creates a harmonious overall picture
Modern & natural
Straightforward yet unique design of a fire station thanks to its wooden facade

Innovative hybrid construction with sustainable fire protection

A new fire station has been built in Berbourg, Luxembourg, which impresses with its striking wooden facade and technically sophisticated substructure. Working closely with our long-standing customer and partner Prefalux, SYSTEA has implemented a solution that combines passive house standards, fire protection, and a complex hybrid construction method.

Challenge:

Fire protection meets passive house standard

The project got underway with a call for tenders by the architectural firm Kleinmuller. The fabricator Prefalux approached SYSTEA to develop a solution that would combine two conflicting requirements: the aesthetics of a natural wood facade and the strict fire protection requirements for a public administration building. Due to the fire protection requirements, a purely wooden substructure was not feasible. The decision was therefore made to use a metal substructure in the form of SYSTEA ALWI, which not only offers the necessary safety and stability, but also impressed with its cost efficiency compared to other systems.

Technical optimization and U-value calculation

SYSTEA provided intensive support for the project right from the planning phase. In order to meet the high energy requirements of the new building, U-value calculations were carried out and the entire facade structure was optimized. Passive house-certified stainless steel wall brackets were used, which reduce thermal bridges to a minimum and guarantee maximum stability even with insulation thicknesses of up to 260 mm (in the warm area of the offices and recreation rooms).

The different substrates presented a particular challenge

The change between concrete and lightweight stone required flexible adaptation of the fastening solutions, which was masterfully solved by the SYSTEA team.

Special feature: the hybrid construction

The architectural highlight of the fire station is the combination of vertical and horizontal wooden facades:

Vertical facade: Here, the metal substructure is flush with the front edge of the insulation. Horizontal wooden strips mounted on top of this form the basis for the final vertical cladding.
Horizontal facade: Here, the vertical metal substructure extends directly to the rear edge of the facade cladding.

A special clip system was used to install the wooden facade, enabling the wooden elements to be attached precisely and securely to the ALWI-S aluminum substructure.

PROFILE SYSTEM ALWI-S