Corporate headquarters with Swiss metal construction quality

Merkle Metallbau AG built a new manufacturing hall with offices in the small municipality of Trimmis, north of Chur. The external appearance of the new building reflects what it embodies on the inside: Swiss metal construction craftsmanship. Werkgruppe für Architektur, who were commissioned with the design, gave the building located in an industrial area of Trimmis a metallic structure to match. Precision and craftsmanship are reflected in every detail – from the relief facade panels to the profiles for fire resistant doors and interior glazing. Swiss company Forster Profile Systems Ltd provided its solutions made entirely of steel for the latter two. These meet both the functional and design requirements that the specialist client set for its new corporate headquarters.

Modern working environment

Merkle Metallbau AG built its new headquarters in the industrial area of Trimmis, near the capital of Chur in the canton of Graubünden. The building combines the functionalities of a spacious metal construction workshop, offices for planning and administration as well as living and recreation rooms. The new building was built exactly to the requirements of the client, who, as a metal constructor, had precise ideas about the construction, choice of materials and use. The design was adapted to the particular needs of the metal construction company, which was involved in the planning from the outset. Room geometries and functions could be optimised based on experiences from the original property.

Compact volume with dazzling shell

From the outside, the building has a compact, uniform structure. The large hall construction with a rectangular floor plan is topped off by a flat pent roof. The office, living and functional areas are located in an adjacent smaller cube that mirrors the roof contour line of the hall. The top of the building houses the building services in the office wing as well as solar panels and fanlights in the hall section. The underground car park and cellar are designed as solid structures. While the administrative wing was built with a skeleton construction, the metal construction workshop was built as a lightweight steel construction.

The main faces of the Merkle Metallbau AG corporate headquarters have a uniform design, as all facades are covered by a shimmering metal shell made of aluminium panels. The three-millimetre thin metal sheets, which are mounted in a rear-ventilated system and have a matt finish, protrude from the flat wall surface in diamond shapes. This creates an impressive 3D structure that in turn reflects the building contents. Dark and filigree framed window strips separate out the opaque shell. The entrance area, which is glazed across two floors, plays with the optical effect between transparency and reflection. The combination of industrial aesthetics and precise construction reflects Merkle Metallbau AG’s commitment to quality and functionality.

Bright interiors with elegant industrial style

As a master metal construction company, the client’s planning specifications were extremely detailed and precise. Windows, facades and geometries meet the technical requirements exactly. The desired quality and prestigious appearance continue inside with bright rooms, a pleasant working atmosphere in the workshop, spacious offices and common areas, as well as a functionally thought-out delivery zone. The coordinated colour palette and material selection consisting of warm wood, dark metal and greyish plaster surfaces create a harmonious overall appearance.

The steel elements from Forster Profile Systems also contribute to this. The office partitions and screens with the filigree profiles from forster presto xs create open and light-flooded work areas. Fire resistant screens consist of doors and fixed glazing with forster presto E30 and forster fuego light EI30/EI60. The telescopic sliding door offers a special solution: as an in-house design with forster presto xs, it enables flexible opening and demarcation of the meeting room. The pivot door is also a striking element in the entrance area and was designed as a special solution by the metal constructor with the forster unico HI system. As a result, the new building not only combines the highest technical precision and design sophistication, but also the signature and expertise of Merkle Metallbau AG.

Trimmis, Svizzera

Products:

Office partitions and screens with forster presto xs

Telescopic sliding door with forster presto xs (in-house design)

Fire resistant doors and fixed glazing with forster presto E30 and forster fuego light EI30/EI60

Pivot door in main entrance with forster unico HI (in-house design)

Architecture: Werkgruppe für Architektur, Chur (CH)

Metal construction: Merkle Metallbau AG, Trimmis (CH)

Client: Merkle Metallbau AG, Trimmis (CH)

Photography: Roider Fotografie