Medical devices are among the fastest-growing industries in Germany. This is good business for iTD, a company from Lower Bavaria that makes mobile carts and articulated arms for carrying medical devices. And so the company has invested in a brand-new headquarters and factory. Bringing together many different functions in one contiguous block, the building uses a cleverly conceived layout to reduce the distances people and materials have to travel. The project is a vision of the future and illustrates a perfect symbiosis of design, functionality, cost efficiency and sustainability.

Due to the huge dimensions of the production areas, which are more than 200 m long, the architects chose an unusual solution and placed the offices and social spaces on top of the factory. This massively reduced the distances that some employees have to cover and also considerably reduced the soil sealing.

Out of respect for the rural setting, it was a goal to keep the building as low as possible, and with a roof construction just 73 cm high, Kielsteg elements helped significantly in achieving this goal. In spans of 22 m, the Kielsteg roof leaves a lot of freedom for the floor layout. In the communication zones between the offices, the loadbearing Kielsteg roof is consciously exposed as a design element, combining function and optics.

The new building complex has a green roof, which helps bed the building into its green surroundings, and is a valuable compensation for the sealed ground area. Kielsteg is perfectly suited for green roofs and this was an advantage the architects used consciously. The green roof also improves the energy efficiency of the building and is a natural temperature regulator.