Archinect
SOFTlab

SOFTlab

New York, NY

anchor

Designer Werktag - 2012

We were asked by Glas Trösch to design a spatial environment for the 2012 Designer Werktag in Munich. The main challenge was designing a space that would not only accommodate various events and product booths by various vendors, but would also transform into a showroom for the following year. We decided to treat the ceiling of the overall space in a way that suggests the intensity the range of  intended programs. The programs will change drastically during Designer Werktag and as it transforms into a larger showroom, we defined the space through a field coloured light. More active program and larger spaces were treated with “hotter” colours like red and orange, while more discrete program was treated with “cooler” greens and blues. The program edges were not defined but blurred through a gradient of coloured lights that hung from points created by an irregular grid. This cellular grid was also used to subtly accommodate the intensity of the program. The grid was more subdivided in the more open active areas to add a layer of division and became less dense and open as the grid approached the smaller zones with products on display. Simple white string curtains hung from the grid helping to disperse the colour of the light. These curtains also changed height, in some cases becoming walls that visitors could pass through. This was used to “softly” create small pockets of space within the larger active event zone.

We also designed modular seating and bars that fit together in the same way as the ceiling. The bars were able to be joined for events to provide large drink serving stations during events and are able to be separated and spread throughout the space to display product material.
 

 
Read more

Status: Built
Location: Munich, DE
Firm Role: Designer
Additional Credits: Photographs courtesy of Glas Trösch and Ronny Buck