Aerzen USA Headquarters

Coatesville, PA

Nature-inspired LEED Gold new construction office + manufacturing facility

Three big ideas:

Organic,
Worker Centric,
Lean Manufacturing

Ten years after designing Aerzen’s US headquarters using principles of lean manufacturing and organic/anthroposophic design, Re:Vision worked with Aerzen on a major expansion to yield a total of 65,000 sf of office and manufacturing spaces. Having designed the original building and site with a future expansion in mind, we were able to take advantage of that foresight. As with the original building, corporate unity and employee wellness were underpinnings of the expansion design. Proven strategies from the original build, such as geo-thermal heat pumps and earth tubes, were incorporated into the addition alongside new advances in enclosure technologies.

Fast Facts

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Commercial Use of Straw Bale + Earthen Plaster

Solar PV, providing 90% of energy needs

“Earth Tubes” to temper manufacturing spaces

Ground Source Heat Pumps

Passive Ventilation

Native Meadows

Outdoor Amenities: Courtyard, Vegetable Gardens, Trails

Porous Pavement

42% Flyash substitution for Portland cement in concrete for reduced embodied carbon

“We selected Re:Vision because we felt they were listening, taking our suggestions seriously, addressing our concerns with earnestness, and giving us honest advice. Re:Vision’s work has met all our expectations, and more. With enthusiasm and focus, they researched new approaches, concepts and technologies that they combined with their broad experience, strong technical competency, and common sense. ”

– Pierre Noack, President

Project Gallery

Front view of the office building with the manufacturing building behind.
As the office building winds around, its form opens up to provide access to a cafe and courtyard.
The original entrance to the building was low slung and nestled behind native meadow.
The renovated entrance is more open and directly accessed from a vehicular drop off zone.
The office interiors are light and open and feature passive ventilation using clerestory windows on weather sensors.
The building structure is composed of parallel strand lumber, which is upcycled from wood scraps, with strurctural insulated panel roofs.
The cafe, which leads to a peaceful courtyard, features a custom wood island inspired by anthroposophic design.
This stand up meeting space bridges between the office and manufacturing spaces with a fire rated glass wall.
The manufacturing space features daylight, passive cooling with earth tubes, and high-efficiency lighting.
90% of the building's energy use is generated from the rooftop solar panel array
A portion of the building was constructed from locally grown straw bales covered in polished plaster, the first approved commercial straw bale construction in Pennsylvania.
This "truth window" which was custom fabricated by the architect, is installed in the main entrance vestibule for all visitors to see.
The original project began with an all-staff multi-day design charrette.
The expansion project again featured a design charrette.
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