IMEG provided engineering design and services for the new, 50,000-square-foot Trumpf Technology Center. Trumpf is a leading manufacturer of fabricating equipment and industrial lasers and offers products and solutions in sheet metal processing, laser-based production, and electronic applications. 

The facility incorporates a 26,000-square-foot open showroom where visitors can observe live sheet metal production. The center also includes a three-story office component adjacent to the showroom and a separate single-story office on the west side of the building. The office areas incorporate an auditorium, multimedia room, open and private offices, and meeting rooms. A center courtyard will offer a gathering area for employees and guests. 

The strong architectural design and the building’s variety of spaces and programming presented many challenges for IMEG’s structural engineers. These challenges included 11-ton, 145-foot clear span welded plate vierendeel trusses (manufactured by Trumpf) in the showroom area to support the roof. IMEG worked with the steel fabricators and erectors to ensure proper detailing and design, erection sequence, and connections. 

Other key structural elements included a custom catwalk framing through trusses – creating a walkway for customers to view the manufacturing process from a higher vantage point – and W-shape members spanning between floor and roof to support the exterior façade’s 40-foot-tall custom curtain wall. The HVAC system is fitted within an 18-inch plenum space above structural framing (beams) within a purlin layout supporting the roof. 

Awards

• 2019 AIA Honor Award for Architecture
• 2018 ENR Midwest Best Project
• 2018 German Steel Building Prize