The German Industrial Building Prize for sustainable building in industrial and commercial construction has been awarded to Hettich's biggest production building.

The Industrial Building Prize combines architectural design expertise with ecological, economic and social aspects as key factors. Open to entries for the first time in 2018, it has been won by Hettich production building B7 in Kirchlengern, Germany. The prize acknowledges architects and developers for their innovations in the field of sustainable building construction.

In terms of production logistics, energy efficiency as well as building typology, production building B7 is making a contribution to responsible industrial construction. With its 75,000 square feet of floor area, the project's approaches to sustainability include the virtually self- supporting floor plan in primary energy optimized timber construction with its sustainable workplace qualities, ability to fall below the requirements of Germany's Energy Saving Ordinance by more than 46 per cent, reduced impervious surface from the industrial building's two story design and use of waste heat from production covering up to 60 per cent of the energy needed for heating and hot water.

The construction comprises the main building, the incoming/outgoing goods departments as well as the components warehouse as central logistics unit. Production and processing have been structured to take place over two stories. Logistically, activities are linked via automatic conveyor systems, with semi-finished and finished product intermediately stored in the logistics warehouse. Organization over two levels produces extremely effective production processes.