proyectos

Ricola Kräuterzentrum

Laufen, Suiza

Ricola's herb processing centre in Laufen (Switzerland), completed in 2014 by Herzog & de Meuron with rammed earth master Martin Rauch. At over 100 metres long and 11 metres high, it's the largest earth building in Europe: 666 prefabricated rammed earth blocks made with earth and clay from the Laufen valley itself, compacted in a nearby workshop and stacked on site over five months using a semi-automated process. The raw earth regulates humidity in the herb store and drastically reduces embodied carbon.