PRESS RELEASE
Fiberline Composites administration and production building,
Middelfart, Denmark
A man-made hill
Glass-fibre manufacturer Fiberline's administration and
production building designed by KHR Arkitekter from
Copenhagen impressively demonstrates that functional
industrial buildings need not be architecturally boring. They built
a 25,000-square-metre administration building with a production
facility in the middle of a green meadow in the southern Danish
town of Middelfart. The building arches out of the flat landscape
like an elongated hill; the highest point is defined by a high-rise
warehouse in the interior.
"We spent a lot of time discussing how we could most
appropriately build on the wide, open landscape,” recalls
Professor Jan Søndergaard, KHR Arkitekter. “Our thinking took
us back to the time of the Vikings and even earlier. At that time,
people built a kind of round protective wall, and they placed their
dwellings inside it – from a distance you could only see a hill.
For us, that was a point of reference for how we could
respectfully work in the landscape.” A geometric interpretation of
a hill rose in the open field – a distinct and simple architecture.
Three large bands of glass subdivide the elongated building and
create an exciting interior spatial geometry which produces
dramatic plays of light and shadow, depending on the weather.
Light falls deep into the interior of the building and indirectly
brightens both the production and warehouse areas. "Our model
was the surface of the earth, which breaks up at different places
and allows light in," adds Jan Søndergaard. The 330-metre long
and 20-metre high east façade was made with glass fibres
which are produced on site at Fiberline. They create thousands
With any questions, please contact:
Armstrong · Marketing und Communication · 74321 Bietigheim Bissingen · Germany
Telefon +49 7142 71-384 · Fax +49 7142 71-408
Seifert PR (GPRA) · Zettachring 2a · 70567 Stuttgart · Germany
Telefon +49 711 77918-0 · Fax +49 711 77918-77 · info@seifert-pr.de
PRESS RELEASE
of lines of light, which run through the space and give it a
dynamic quality.
The glass bands slant towards the north and jut out sideways
from the building. There, outside the main building, is where the
conference and meeting rooms are located providing a wide
view over the landscape. These rooms are open to every
employee and bring a high quality of life into the daily work
routine. The angle of the façade is 60 degrees, which gives the
visitor the sensation of floating – that frees up the mind to think
in all directions. The glass bands function as skylights in the
large production and warehouse facility.
The interior core of the building consists of a large room for
everyone. This is where all the company operations take place.
Workers, colleagues from research and development as well as
administrative employees sit together in a giant hall, which
occupies almost 20,000 square metres. A glass plate separates
production on the ground floor and the offices in the galleries.
Jan Søndergaard is happy that the unusual concept came to
fruition and says, "The fact that everyone can sit and see each
other in a single room really creates a strong identity and a bond
with the company today."
The interior design is friendly and motivating. The interior is
characterised by bright surfaces, defined shapes and glass. The
walls and ceilings are white, and the production facility has a
grey cement floor. The same shade of grey is also echoed in the
other rooms in the form of twilight-grey Uni Walton DLW
linoleum. "We selected it because it embodies the idea of simple
surfaces – very distinct and very simple,” explains Jan
Søndergaard. In addition to that, the colour is neutral, and
beautiful light effects emerge, particularly in the meeting rooms.
So you focus on the topics under discussion, the surrounding
landscape, and the room steps back.
With any questions, please contact:
Armstrong · Marketing und Communication · 74321 Bietigheim Bissingen · Germany
Telefon +49 7142 71-384 · Fax +49 7142 71-408
Seifert PR (GPRA) · Zettachring 2a · 70567 Stuttgart · Germany
Telefon +49 711 77918-0 · Fax +49 711 77918-77 · info@seifert-pr.de
PRESS RELEASE
“It was important to us to use materials that fit our motif –
everything, even the details, is aimed at the concept of a simple,
linear building.” On top of that, DLW linoleum’s very natural
composition of linseed oil, sawdust, limestone, jute, resin and
cork makes it particularly eco-friendly. The main economic
arguments in favour of it are its easy cleaning and maintenance
as well as its long life span even under high stress.
Captions:
Armstrong Fiberline_01.jpg
The Fiberline Composites
administrative and production
building arches out from the
flat
landscape
like
an
elongated hill.
Armstrong Fiberline_02.jpg
KHR Arkitekter used three
large
glass
bands
to
subdivide the building and let
light penetrate deep into the
interior.
Armstrong Fiberline_03.jpg
The building consists of a
giant, nearly 20,000-squaremetre hall in which all the
employees can see each
other as they work.
With any questions, please contact:
Armstrong · Marketing und Communication · 74321 Bietigheim Bissingen · Germany
Telefon +49 7142 71-384 · Fax +49 7142 71-408
Seifert PR (GPRA) · Zettachring 2a · 70567 Stuttgart · Germany
Telefon +49 711 77918-0 · Fax +49 711 77918-77 · info@seifert-pr.de
PRESS RELEASE
Armstrong Fiberline_04.jpg
Only a plate of glass
separates the production
area from the offices.
Armstrong Fiberline_05.jpg
The three glass bands jut out
sideways from the building;
that is where the meeting
areas are located.
Armstrong Fiberline_06.jpg
The linear design is also
echoed in the conference
rooms; monochrome DLW
linoleum combined with glass
surfaces produces beautiful
light effects.
With any questions, please contact:
Armstrong · Marketing und Communication · 74321 Bietigheim Bissingen · Germany
Telefon +49 7142 71-384 · Fax +49 7142 71-408
Seifert PR (GPRA) · Zettachring 2a · 70567 Stuttgart · Germany
Telefon +49 711 77918-0 · Fax +49 711 77918-77 · info@seifert-pr.de
PRESS RELEASE
Armstrong Fiberline_07.jpg
The 60-degree angle of the
façade gives the visitor the
sensation of floating; the
floor-to-ceiling glass provides
an unobstructed view into the
landscape.
Armstrong Fiberline_08.jpg
The offices are bright and
motivating. The architects
selected DLW Uni Walton
linoleum in twilight grey for
the floor because it embodied
their idea of simple surfaces.
Armstrong Fiberline_09.jpg
The grey DLW linoleum is
visually distinctive and serves
as a solid foundation; it is
also eco-friendly, easy to
clean and durable.
Photo: Armstrong/Torben Eskerod
With any questions, please contact:
Armstrong · Marketing und Communication · 74321 Bietigheim Bissingen · Germany
Telefon +49 7142 71-384 · Fax +49 7142 71-408
Seifert PR (GPRA) · Zettachring 2a · 70567 Stuttgart · Germany
Telefon +49 711 77918-0 · Fax +49 711 77918-77 · info@seifert-pr.de