The staff of Duisburg's municipal forestry administration dedicate much of their careers to working in nature and preserving it. So it made perfect sense to prioritise natural materials and sustainable practices in designing their new operational facilities. The City of Duisburg's Environmental Agency commissioned Hayner Salgert Architects from Düsseldorf to plan and build the structure within Duisburg's forest. The result seamlessly blends traditional and contemporary architectural forms, integrates harmoniously with its natural surroundings, and sets a compelling ecological benchmark.

On the forestry grounds, the new L-shaped building works with the existing workshop to define a central courtyard. The asymmetrical roof design—with its generous overhang protecting the façade from the elements—emerges from the varying room depths of the floor plan while echoing the distinctive roofline of the adjacent vehicle depot. The larch-clad façade with its wooden windows and doors signals an ecologically sound approach to construction, directly reflecting the building's forestry context. The timber frame method, still relatively uncommon in the region, delivers excellent thermal performance with minimal primary energy consumption. As a negative emission technology, it locks CO₂ into the wood structure for the building's entire lifespan. A wood-chip heating system—powered largely by the operation's own by-products—further strengthens this environmental balance, tapping into regional renewable resources with negligible transport distances. An entrance vestibule at the building's interior corner divides the structure into two functional zones while minimising circulation space. The southern wing contains the staff break and training room along with offices overlooking an existing pond habitat. The northern wing houses changing facilities and restrooms, finished with a carefully considered colour palette and small-format tiles.

www.haynersalgert-architekten.de

Photography Credits:

Frank Böttner
boettner-foto.de

(Featured in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 01|21)