Text description provided by the architects. The Greiner Company, a family based business founded 1922 in the small town Pleidelsheim nearby Ludwigsburg, Germany, is known for its high quality chairs and seats and is selling products all over the world in the fields of beauty, healthcare and automotive – at its own brand or as supplier.
With its well manufactured products and sustainable services the company is growing for years. The old headquarter with its small client-center and showroom couldn’t hold up with that progress any more.
© Andreas-Thomas MayerA new headquarter had to be build!
Originally located at the edge of the town, the company area with its production- and storage-halls was overgrown by the development of the town and is now part of the near city-centre. The site of the old, inconspicuous headquarter did not represent the company’s address very well.
© Brigida GonzálezThe new office- and exhibition-building, by contrast, is located near the city-centre at the north-south cross-town link. Being on the chosen construction site, the old House of the company founder, later used as a tannery, had to be torn down. Therefore the location of the new headquarter also refers to the company’s history and benefits both, the identity of the company as well as the public space.
© Brigida GonzálezThe surrounding of the site is characterized by several building-types, mixed with industry-, residential- and old agricultural-buildings. So how should a new building respond to that context and simultaneously transport some kind of corporate identity?
© Brigida GonzálezWe decided jointly with the client to create a pure, reduced Shape that is inspired by the timeless qualities of classical modernism. The façade of building is worked in exposed concrete, giving the structure a modest but individual impact to that heterogenic place.
© Brigida GonzálezThe cut out roof-terrace reduces the shape at the main-roads intersection so that the volume of the structure reacts sensible to the height of the surrounding buildings. At the intersection the building opens its exhibition-floor over the corner through big showcase-windows to the public - not primarily to catch new clients, but stimulating the public space.
© Brigida GonzálezOrganized on four levels, the flexible and multifunctional exhibition-room and customer-center is reached on entry-level and can also be used for special events when needed.
© Andreas-Thomas MayerHowever, the headquarters representative “heart” is reached over the low entrance-room:
A triple storied, open space reception-hall made out of exposed concrete walls with poured in lamps - hosting a sculptural spiral staircase.
© Andreas-Thomas MayerIt connects the upper floors with offices, conference-room, accounting-area and the roof-terrace.
SectionIn Addition to the spiral staircase
the whole building is connected to an elevator and a necessary evacuation staircase
which provides a short internal connection for the staff and a shortcut to the nearby production-hall
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A peek under the hood reveals that the 5.5-liter V8 of the SLK55 AMG has been shoehorned in with 415 hp on tap and mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission
the car adopts an upgraded ABS brake system
Viewed from the outside and inside
it is virtually impossible to fault the car
The gorgeous black paint has been perfectly matched by chrome accents
Cognac leather is featured prominently alongside wooden accents across the dashboard
It’s not exactly uncommon: a mechanic responsible for a vehicle wrecks it during a test drive
This is what happened in Germany yesterday
this time involving a classic Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing
The Mercedes was being restored at Mechatronics
a specialist in classic cars with the three-pointed star
The company’s slogan is “perfection
quality and passion” and a 26-year mechanic was surely passionate about the iconic Mercedes
apparently drove faster than the speed limit of 80 km/h and went off the side of the road
a 19-year old apprentice escaped without injuries
but the Mercedes was totaled resulting in an estimated damage of €650,000 euros
Apparently the owner of the 300 SL remained quite calm when he heard about the vehicle
Most likely the Mercedes will be completely restored
but the lost reputation of Mechatronics will be harder to repair
[Via Der Spiegel]
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