Contents

1 - Audemars Piguet: expansion and improvements in Le Brassus
2 - Designing the first Minergie-ECO® production unit
3 - Minergie-ECO®: the requirements of the new label
4 - A wood-fired heating system
5 - Telecommunications: playing it safe
6 - Revitalisation and reforestation of the Brassus stream area
7 - A welcoming entrance to the village
8 - High and medium voltage: the end of overhead electrical lines

Designing the first Minergie-ECO® production unit

While the Minergie label celebrates its tenth anniversary, the new Minergie-ECO® label is still in the test phase. The Manufacture des Forges is the first industrial and craftsmanship building in Switzerland to target this level of environmental excellence.

Audemars Piguet’s new Manufacture des Forges was designed and built to comply with the Minergie-ECO® label. The new label’s requirements combine energy efficient heating and electricity, high quality construction materials that are both environmentally and user-friendly throughout their life cycle (in accordance with the Eco-Bau recommendations), and the harmonious integration of the building into its natural and architectural surroundings. The company’s determination to take a proactive approach to this initiative called for extra special attention when choosing the construction materials and techniques.

The building’s location
The site chosen for the construction of the new Audemars Piguet production unit is characterised by its location in the heart of the Le Brassus village, right near residential neighbourhoods of villas and town houses, local school buildings and the Le Brassus railway station, as well as an industrial complex built in the 1980s.
The firm intention, shared by both Audemars Piguet and the project managers, was to make sure the new building would fit harmoniously into the existing surroundings. This led to a project with simple volumes relative to the setting’s other structures, slanted roofs like the nearby chalet-style homes, an articulated layout to avoid an impression of bulk and a dark-coloured exterior façade to facilitate the building’s natural blending with the neighbouring buildings while also giving it a rather elegant look.

The building’s design
The Manufacture des Forges was positioned on the chosen parcel of land parallel to the Brassus stream in order to optimise the site’s construction capacity while ensuring the integration of all the unit’s operational criteria. The building’s layout was organised around the different operational divisions. First, there’s the main section, aligned with the stream, where the visitors’ reception area, deliveries and production support teams are located. Then, at right angles, two wings stretch out to the sides, one for the actual watchmaking and the other for outer packaging and logistics. The north-south orientation of these two wings allows for optimal exposure to the northern sunlight, which is of reliable quality and ensures consistent temperatures within the workshops.
These two sections, each measuring around sixty metres long, boast a central articulation which gives a less massive feel to the space and provides interesting visual perspectives no matter which direction one faces. Along the southern wall of each wing runs a distribution hallway allowing workers to come and go freely between the workshops via airlock doors. The hallways also serve as a temperature buffer between the outer wall which can get quite hot and the inner areas which need to be strictly controlled.
The entire structure is built over a basement where an underground parking structure can accommodate over 90 vehicles, an employee entrance and changing room. The various technical installations are set up in the attic area.
In order to connect the building located on the plot and already housing the Audemars Piguet workshops with the new production unit, a footbridge was installed. With users in mind, it was designed to facilitate transition between the two entities and thereby form a single production site. Within the enclosed walkway, a recreational space was set up for people to socialize and unwind.

The preliminary work
The project began with the demolition of an abandoned sawmill, which was scrupulously monitored in terms of the potential environmental impact, guaranteeing proper treatment of areas which could show traces of pollution and careful consideration for materials which could be of interest for recycling or reuse.
The wood recovered from the sawmill’s structure, flooring, siding, etc. was collected and sent to Sogebois SA, the central heating plant just two kilometres away. The bricks and cement were crushed and re-used to build a platform and access way for the construction site. The materials that showed traces of pollutants, notably asbestos, were put through the conventional treatment process.
The land, having been classified as contaminated due to its previous industrial use, needed to undergo close studies to pinpoint each and every area of pollution, before sending contaminated materials to the proper treatment facility.