Roland Baldi Architekt / VWN architects

Description

The outstanding feature of this building is its façade. The homogeneous skin shimmers with a matte crystalline sparkle, looking very much like snow. This association is an apt one considering that the company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of artificial snow systems. The floor levels shine through the façade shell. The continuous envelope of opaque glass profiles allows for natural illumination of all production and storage halls, producing a mild and even scattered light just like daylight filtering through a blanket of snow. The translucent thermal insulation between the profiles further enhances the snowy effect. The various operational functions were arranged vertically within the building. The corresponding volumes are in part shifted against one another, forming varying outdoor spaces, for example the roof over a ramp or the test area for snow cannons.