Green island on the technology campus
The Siemens Group has one of its largest branches in Karlsruhe, where the technology giant employs 4,500 staff members. Two canteens cater to the staff, with the one of Campus Süd bordering directly on a large inner courtyard full of greenery. Small wonder that the area with its trees attracts staff when the weather is good, who like to enjoy their lunch outdoors. Hitherto there were tables and benches, but the entire outside area was somewhat temporary in nature. The outdoor furniture simply stood around randomly on the lawn and any downpour left the place unusable for many hours afterwards.
When a new information and training center was erected next to the canteen, the opportunity was taken to also redesign the courtyard in line with its use. To this end, Lorenz Richardt Architekten developed a concept that allowed the buildings to be accessed while creating a comfortable and easily maintained outdoor eating area with 200 seats. The patio is irregular in structure and now framed by a lawn. An island of trees as an additional greened zone sub-divides the patio. Here, the architects opted for rock pears and regional wild flowers.
While still in the planning phase, Lorenz Richardt Architekten suggested using Fermob products for the outdoor zone, in particular the “Bellevie” series; it became a key element of the overall concept and blends harmoniously with the other design components (the paving, plants and sun shades). Most fortunately, Fermob was able to produce the tables in the series in precisely the dimensions required. The client wanted each table to be able to seat eight staff members with their trays, something that was not possible with tables of standard sizes. For this reason, the special projects section at Fermob came up with fit-to-size solutions. And now, people using the canteen can sit down on one of the 52 benches (with or without backrests) and eat at one of the 26 custom-length tables. There are already plans to make use of the “Bellevie” series for other projects on the campus, too. (fap)
