f m b architekten - norman binder, andreas-thomas mayer

Description

The Greiner family business, founded in 1922, is headquartered in Pleidelsheim near Ludwigsburg and is well-known for its high-quality chairs, seats and couches. Today, it is also active in the beauty, healthcare and automotive sectors, both as an own brand and as a supplier. The old administrative building with its cramped customer centre had stopped keeping pace with this development a long time ago. The company needed a new headquarter. The new administrative and exhibition building is close to the town centre, right on a northerly thoroughfare. The old home of the company founder, which was later used as a tannery, had to make way for the new build. The site of the new company headquarter therefore has a link to the company origins. This has led to the creation of a place that enhances both the identity of the company and the public sphere. The site is characterised by very different types of building. It is a typical mixed-use area that includes commercial, industrial and residential buildings. Together with the client, the architects decided to use a clear, reduced design vocabulary that takes its inspiration from timeless, classic modernism. The exterior building envelope consists of exposed concrete which makes the building look modest but, at the same time, distinct in its small town setting. The fact that the building is «awash» in the typical local paving is no coincidence, but «weaves together» the adjoining open spaces and reinforces the concept of the building as a sculptural, solitary component of the town.