Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet

Location

Le Brassus, CH

Architect

BIG Bjarke Ingels Group

Data

FRENER & REIFER Installation Phase: 08.2017 – 04.2018

FRENER & REIFER Design Phase: 09.2016 – 10.2017

FRENER & REIFER is responsible for the structurally load-bearing, curved glass facade, the steel roof in the form of a double helix, the sun protection system and a walk-on glass roof.

Scope of work

FRENER & REIFER Design-Engineering, Fabrication and Installation:

• Glass Facade: load-bearing glass facade consisting of 101 curved, trapezoid glass panes in various formats.
• Sun Protection: highly complex sun protection cladding, made up of many individual elements each composed of 432 different louvre slats. The complete sun protection thus consists of a total of approx. 15,000 different brass louvres.
• Steel Roof: in the form of a double helix consisting of approx. 50 individual elements, all unique.
• Glass Roof: walkable, semi-circular glass roof.
• Pivot Door: bespoke construction with approx. dimensions of: width 4.5 m x height 2.80 m and a weight of 1.000 kg.
• 4 All-Glass Swing Doors and 2 All-Glass Sliding Doors.

Innovations / Challenges

• The building is reinforced by the glass panes themselves.
• Development of load-bearing, curved insulating glass.
• Fulfilment of all structural requirements: high snow and wind loads.
• The most highly loaded pane was tested with a weight of 40 tons.
• Complexity of sun protection system, in which every element is unique.
• Difficult facade geometry.
• Entire solution designed in 3D, some parts parametrically.