Opening of Germany’s largest timber module plant for sustainable buildings

timpla GmbH opened Germany’s largest plant for residential module construction in Eberswalde on September 19, 2024. The company celebrated the inauguration of the new 20,000 square meter building, where timber modules for sustainable and climate-friendly buildings will be produced in the future. Representatives from the political and business areas also joined them to celebrate the occasion. The consulting and planning company io supported the plant's implementation as factory and logistics planner.
 

Just five days before its opening, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the timpla plant, accompanied by Brandenburg’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Steinbach, and District Commissioner Daniel Kurth.

timpla is following a century-old tradition with its new plant for the production of timber modules. Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius was already testing serial timber construction in Eberswalde almost 100 years ago. timpla will produce up to 2,000 modules per year on a production area of approx. 20,000 m² at what is now the largest timber module plant in Germany.

“More than 100 employees will now be producing timber modules in Eberswalde for sustainable and climate-friendly buildings,” explains Managing Director Roland Kühnel. Modular timber construction is acknowledged as a key technology for climate protection, so the production plant also reinforces Eberswalde’s position as a center for sustainable business.
 

Sustainability: the primary goal

Using wood as a building material is vital for the sustainable building sector. Wood is renewable, absorbs CO₂ and offers very good insulating properties. When buildings need to be repurposed or dismantled during their life cycle, wood is generally recyclable and easier to handle than other alternatives.

io supported the planning and implementation of the new plant as factory and logistics expert from the concept phase onwards. The consulting company optimized and further developed the basic factory concept, building on a basic proof of concept. Furthermore, they took over detailed planning of the production and logistics as well as tendering of the main equipment required. io also supervised the awarding processes, the implementation as well as the acceptance and ramp-up of the production and logistics systems. The ultimate outcome of the project is state-of-the-art production facilities combined with highly automated production logistics.

In collaboration with io, timpla focused on energy sustainability when planning the entire production process and operation of the plant. The wood waste generated during production is automatically fed into a wood chip heating system via conveyor belts and a state-of-the-art extraction system to heat both the production hall and the offices. A photovoltaic system on the roof will fulfill substantially more than half of the electricity requirements of the planned two-shift operation.

“Our aim is to combine as much economic efficiency as possible using innovative production and resource conservation,” says Roland Kühnel, describing timpla’s ambition, adding: “Wood is certainly a renewable resource. But that doesn’t mean we can be thoughtless about how we use it.”
 

About timpla GmbH

timpla GmbH is a serial timber module manufacturer from Eberswalde near Berlin manufacturing sustainable properties for project developers and housing associations. timpla produces highly prefabricated and extended room modules made of wood, which are assembled directly on site to create finished multi-storey buildings. timpla modules can be used, for example, to build hotels, apartment buildings, student residences, retirement homes and temporary accommodation, as well as schools and daycare centers.

timpla GmbH operates under the “timpla by Renggli” brand and is a joint venture between four shareholders: Renggli AG Schweiz, Saxovent Smart Eco Investments GmbH, Sächsische Ärzteversorgung (SAEV), and MQ Real Estate GmbH.