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Office building made of BauBuche next to UNESCO World Heritage
Site, the Fagus factory in Alfeld, Germany
Architects BIWERMAU and Wilfried Köhnemann have erected an office building made
of timber in Alfeld, Lower Saxony, Germany. The medium-sized company FagusGrecon's new customer centre offers 1,200 m² of floor space for 60 employees. The
entire load-bearing structure and large parts of the interior have been constructed
using the laminated veneer lumber BauBuche.
It was on this site in 1911 that Walter Gropius and Adolf Meyer erected their world famous
factory. The Fagus factory is considered a landmark in the development of modern
architecture and industrial design and, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a listed
building. At the time of its erection at the beginning of the 20th century, the historic Fagus
factory was unique in offering modern industrial workplaces geared to the needs of the
employees, in that they were clean, dry and well-lit.
Fagus has since expanded, and its range of goods now includes measurement electronics
and spark extinguishing systems for the timber industry. A steady growth in sales and
increasing demand for training and other professional services meant that by 2013 the
company needed more office space. And in keeping with a tradition that began during the
German Empire, the company has opted for contemporary architecture and state-of-the-art
building materials. With a respectful nod to the Fagus factory's century-long production of
shoe lasts made of beechwood, the load-bearing structure and interior of the now finished
construction have been made using BauBuche from Pollmeier. The new building was
designed by the architecture office BIWERMAU (Hamburg) in co-operation with Wilfried
Köhnemann, an experienced Hamburg architect who has acted as consultant to the
company for more than 30 years, particularly within the context of its special World Heritage
requirements.
In harmony with World Heritage
The focus for the architects was to reconcile the wishes of the clients with all aspects and
requirements of a listed building, of the UNESCO World Heritage and of the town of Alfeld.
Finished at the end of 2015, the new building annexes two existing flat buildings and, in
terms of urban development, now completes the ensemble of historic and contemporary
production and office buildings running alongside the road to the south east of the premises.
With its striking façade made of cedar wood and openings rising vertically across both
storeys of the building, the new customer centre is now as much a landmark of the factory
premises as the distinctive chimney.
Accommodating 60 office workplaces over two storeys, the slightly slanting floor areas are
accessed via a central corridor area running lengthways through the building. The second
storey is designed as a recessed top floor, housing a conference room and two training
rooms and an all-round roof terrace for the al fresco enjoyment of all visitors.
Pollmeier Massivholz GmbH & Co.KG | Pferdsdorfer Weg 6 | 99831 Creuzburg | Germany | www.pollmeier.com
Load-bearing structure and interior design with BauBuche
The erection of the new building as a timber construction was based on the wish to
incorporate various GreCon products, many of which have long-standing affiliations with
timber, such as fire protection and measurement systems. For the client, it was crucial to
use innovative construction materials that GreCon customers manufacture using plants and
systems made in Alfeld. "Pollmeier is also one of our customers", said Jörg Hasener, Client
Project Manager. "When they launched BauBuche on the market, we immediately thought to
ourselves, that's just the perfect material to build with" he continued, reflecting on the
planning phase.
The laminated veneer lumber from Pollmeier was deployed in a multitude of ways, such as
for the load-bearing structure, which was constructed in a skeleton design using columns
and beams made of BauBuche. This was Thomas Mau's first time using BauBuche and the
Hamburg architect was certain that it had been such a positive experience as a result of the
excellent material quality. The clients and the architect also chose BauBuche for a range of
internal components, thus creating a harmonious overall look to complement the visible
timber frame structure. The window soffits were given a distinctive BauBuche cladding and
even the office partition walls, the large conference tables and various desks were made
from this robust and attractive material.
Architecture: Biwermau + Wilfried Köhnemann, Hamburg, Germany
Structural design: Ingenieurbüro für Bauwesen, Freden, Germany
Location: Hannoversche Strasse 58, 31061 Alfeld, Germany
Client: Fagus-GreCon Greten GmbH & Co.KG
Timber construction: Koch-Bau GmbH, 37574 Einbeck-Rittierode, Germany
Completion: March 2016
Photography: Carsten Janssen
Jan Hassan
Public Relations & Marketing
Phone: +49 36926 945 271
Fax: +49 36926 945 91271
E-mail: [email protected]
Pollmeier Massivholz GmbH & Co.KG | Pferdsdorfer Weg 6 | 99831 Creuzburg | Germany | www.pollmeier.com