In the northern Rhine valley, on the outskirts of Lauterach, the property is embedded in a small-scale structure of detached houses. The building is positioned independently in the dense development and fits harmoniously into the surroundings with its three-part cubature. The building is set back from the street in the south and is oriented in a north-south direction.
The new headquarters for Austria’s oldest transport and logistics firm is based on the idea of a continuous car park. The new structure has been located along the site boundary slightly away from the road, thereby embedding the new building within the activity of the distribution centre while distinguishing it from the neighbouring residential area. In response to this heterogeneous urban context, Cukrowicz Nachbaur developed a precise, planar two-storey office building arranged around inner courtyards which harmonises with its setting in style and scale. The company’s values and global stature are also manifested in the new architecture. By raising the headquarters off the ground, the offices are afforded unobstructed views over Gebrüder Weiss’s characteristic orange fleet. This sense of elevation expresses the importance of the building itself as the organisation’s headquarters. A grand two-part ramp leads from the entrance to the main floors. Within the two upper office levels, mezzanines and transparency are used to emphasise the non-hierarchical corporate structure, promote internal communication and encourage spontaneous exchanges among staff. This generous interior atmosphere represents a spatial experience for all its users and the architectural embodiment of the aspirations of Gebrüder Weiss. The building’s point-based wayfinding system is a metaphor for goods in transit and GW’s worldwide network. Its design scheme conveys a sense of self-assured internationality.
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