“At Wilkhahn no two bricks will be placed on top of each another if a building is not created that considers both ecology and economy, and aesthetic and human aspects.” (Fritz Hahne 1984)
We understand architecture as being a built environment. Architecture therefore becomes an expression of corporate approach. What is more: we are convinced that responsible design of the environment can have a positive influence on value judgments, attitudes and last but not least, on human relations. This applies to buildings and spaces as well as to their interiors.
We understand architecture as being a built environment. Architecture therefore becomes an expression of corporate approach. What is more: we are convinced that responsible design of the environment can have a positive influence on value judgments, attitudes and last but not least, on human relations. This applies to buildings and spaces as well as to their interiors.
The roots. The future needs roots
The oldest building stage dating back to 1910 is still preserved today, integrated into the “Altes Kesselhaus” (old boiler house), which was made into a communication centre in the wake of conversion of the old factory into an administration building at the beginning of the 1990s.Solid and functional: the frequently extended factory built in traditional brickwork is nowadays used as a service centre and amongst others accommodates the wiege Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, an independent subsidiary company since 1985.
The 1950s and the 1960s. Inspired by Bauhaus
The 1950s and 60s were the time of “architects’ chairs” at Wilkhahn. Names such as Jupp Ernst, Roland Rainer, Hans Bellmann, Walter Papst, Herbert Hirche and Georg Leowald stood for the company’s new, design-oriented approach that was based on the principles of the Deutscher Werkbund, Bauhaus and the HfG Ulm (Academy of Design). It was a matter of course that Leowald and Hirche were also commissioned with the upcoming building tasks of the dynamically growing company.The administration building, built by Herbert Hirche in 1960, is a model of excellence. It was designed with a visible concrete supporting structure with a nogged clinker brick facade.
The 1980s. Humanization of the working world
After corporate culture had continued to develop over the course of decades with a holistic understanding of product design, social partnership and environmental responsibility, Frei Otto’s pavilions marked the beginning of buildings becoming a conscious, integral part of corporate culture’s sphere of activity.In this form, the four pavilions are production halls and now also administration buildings that are unique throughout the world. Additional expenditure has long since paid off many times as a result of the high utilization scope afforded and the ongoing PR and marketing effects.
The 1990s. Ecological change
Ecological responsibility, a theme upon which Frei Otto already concentrated with the design of the pavilions, was adopted as a resolution by the Wilkhahn Administrative Board in 1989 and thus became an integral part of corporate development. Thomas Herzog’s production halls marked both an internal and external symbol of corporate responsibility and new opportunities in design, technology and employment of materials. It was the first time that industrial production halls were built in line with decidedly ecological aspects.Wilkhahn culture is characterized by the fact that spectacular architectural innovation takes place in production areas. The so-called “Herzog Halls” are therefore convincing evidence of the consistency of design standards. The messages of the brand are thus borne out by products and by production processes too.
2000 +. New interpretation, use and cutting edge energy technology
After the entrance and reception area in the “Hirche Building” had been continually reshaped due to organizational requirements and – is frequently the case in history of buildings – watered down in terms of its original clarity, this section was updated by Hanover architects Pax Brüning according to the theme of “Arriving at Wilkhahn” in the summer of 2006. As was the case with the old boiler house, the briefing was not to rebuild it in the same style but to translate the theme into contemporary terms that would tie in with the power and expressiveness of Herbert Hirche’s design. With the new concept, the entrance area conveys associations with “high-quality reduction to essentials”, “orientation”, “openness” and “timeless modernity” – values that today stand for the positioning of Wilkhahn products throughout the world.
The boiler house, built by Georg Leowald in the late 1950s, was converted into a showroom and events space in 2007. The graceful building, constructed in the Bauhaus style, today provides an attractive setting for exhibitions with alternating themes, such as the special exhibition on the occasion of the company’s 100th anniversary in 2007.
The high space quality of Frei Otto’s pavilions is open for an array of different applications: the fourth pavilion was initially used as a production hall, it functioned as an exhibition pavilion for the Wilkhahn project “The future of work” during EXPO 2000, while today it provides the ideal environment for the Wilkhahn Customized Manufacturing Centre in which customer-specific products are developed and produced.
With the construction of a highly modern combined heat and power unit that is connected to the energy plant, originally designed by Thomas Herzog, Wilkhahn has created yet another, visible expression of corporate values: the power plant has an efficiency level of more than 80% and is powered exclusively by renewable raw materials. The energy is fed into the local power supply system and the waste heat is used to heat the production and administration buildings. Wilkhahn is thus one of the first office furniture manufacturers throughout the world that is able to carry out virtually CO2 neutral production at its main production facilities.
