THE CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS AND CUSTOMER CENTRE OF MAX FELCHLIN AG, IBACH

The location of Max Felchlin AG is, first of all, a production site for high-quality chocolate and, thus, quite directly shapes the architecture of the new corporate headquarters and the Customer Centre. The lower floors housing the reception, factory shop and offices follow the spatial order of the already existing as well as the projected plants, while the more representative spaces reserved for training purposes and gastronomy for both employees and customers are housed almost above the rooftops.

In fact, it is the roof structure where we are mobilizing the entire range of local carpentry shaping the pyramid-type tiled slabs of the rooms reserved for training courses and the restaurant into an imposing roof structure, which elegantly and simply but ingeniously embeds the projecting parts into the beam structure. The shadows cast by the fine horizontal lines and the sinusoidal wave-form silhouette provide the whole with a Japanese touch; a poetry, in which austerity and lightness are mutually dependent.

LOCATION: Ibach, Kanton Schwyz

COMPETITION: 2014

PROJECT: 2015-2019

CLIENT: Max Felchlin AG

MEILI, PETER & Partner ARCHITEKTEN AG

MEILI, PETER & PARTNER ARCHITEKTEN:
Markus Peter, Patrick Rinderknecht, Alice Hucker, Roman Pfister, Lukas Eschmann, Benjamin Melly, Tobias Gagliardi, Adrien Muller, Tobia Rapelli, Jean Hartmann, Andreas Winzeler, Gergő Vátyi, Malte Didrigkeit

GENERAL PROJECT LEADER:
Dany Waldner AG, Zurich

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT:
HSSP GmbH, Zurich

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE:
Müller Illien Landschaftsarchitekten GmbH, Zurich

structure timber work/Fireprotection/building physics:
Pirmin Jung Ingenieure AG, Rain

Collaboration structure Timber work:
Création Holz GmbH, Herisau

structure solid Building/Building Pit:
bpp Ingenieure AG, Schwyz

Building Technology:
3-Plan Haustechnik AG, Winterthur

Light Planning:
Mati AG, Adliswil

panel-Beater:
Lees AG, Altikon