Vivier SA
Short description
Le Vivier in Villaz-St-Pierre, Fribourg, is a modern industrial centre that is home to companies in the fields of automation, robotics, mechatronics and power electronics and impresses with its energy-efficient construction and flexible use of space.
The project
A new kind of industrial centre.
Le Vivier is located in the municipality of Villaz-St-Pierre in the canton of Fribourg. It is ideally located between the two economic centres of Arc Lémanique and Espace Mitelland and is easily accessible thanks to a high-quality transport network. The centre is intended to accommodate all companies focused on technological leadership and innovation, particularly in the fields of automation, robotics, mechatronics and power electronics.
The CPA Group and its companies currently form an important core of experience and synergies in the region and beyond its borders. The new building completes the offer initiated by its two predecessors. As it complies with the best practices in terms of energy efficiency and layout, it adapts to each resident company by offering the desired space as desired, from a few square metres to several hundred square metres. The building will become the nerve centre of Le Vivier and will house the incubator in particular.
High tech in the green.
The construction of the new building is in line with the long-term vision of the CPA Group's managers and is part of a master plan to develop the Vivier technology centre in Villaz-St-Pierre. The project proposes the requalification of a reception and access area with the aim of enhancing the various buildings, hierarchising their functions and serving the image of the companies.
The Vivier is a 116 metre long and 39 metre wide parallelepiped with a total usable area of over 15,000 m2. The principle of the building corresponds to a process in which functions are stacked on top of each other. The search for an efficient and rational organisation led to a three-dimensional system that makes it possible to offer the various companies an addition of ‘slots’ and thus to adapt the available space to the demand and development of the companies. The different levels offer 7 metre high production halls that can be equipped with overhead cranes, reception halls that open onto a garden, administrative offices and 4 metre high assembly and testing workshops.
All these activities are linked to a mall that runs the entire length of the building and opens out onto the Glarus landscape. This space is intended to be a place of encounter, exchange, discussion and ultimately an incubator for ideas. There is a lecture theatre with 100 seats, conference rooms, a restaurant and a multi-purpose room that can be used for exhibitions and workshops, for example.
The principles of sustainable development were taken into account right from the start of the studies:
- Densification of the development
- Limiting the amount of land required
- Equalisation of excavation areas and application of the cleantech concept
The building is equipped with a geothermal heat pump fed by 27 boreholes at a depth of 200 metres. This system, which is connected to an active plate principle, enables both heating and cooling of the building. A freecooling and night ventilation system provides additional cooling. The additional use of gas made it possible to pipe from Romont to Villaz-St-Pierre. The installation of solar thermal panels on the roof completes the system by ensuring the production of hot water.
In partnership with Greenwatt, over 500 m2 of photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof. The predominantly glazed façade cladding reflects the density and desire for natural light, allowing the solar gain to be utilised. The transparency and realisation of the exterior metalwork directly reflect the companies' brand image, working with analogies and interpreting themes associated with their production: Technical performance, precision and creativity.