03/30/2015 - Building report: Leica Camera AG - Leica World of Discovery

As Leica celebrates 100 Years of Leica Photography, “Leica Camera AG” has not only moved into a new headquarters in the company's birthplace of Wetzlar but also offers a transparent World of Discovery which provides new insights into the company and reveals previously unknown facts about the mythical brand.

Offenhausen, March 2015 – 100 Years of Leica Photography: At the beginning of the 20th century, the cult Leica brand revolutionised the photographic world and has fascinated young and old alike since it really took off in the mid-1920s. To coincide with its 100th anniversary, the company has moved to a new, modern site in the "Leitz-Park Wetzlar". By doing so, the premium manufacturer of cameras and optical products for sport has gone back to its roots.

The new headquarters with a usable area of more than 25,000 square meters provide a modern and productive working environment while allowing employees and visitors to see the brand in a new light. Many areas including production are accessible or at least visible to visitors and customers. There is also a museum with a photo exhibition, the Leica flagship store and the "Café Leitz" coffee house. Here, visitors can enjoy an unobstructed view of the large company site. Entirely in white, the café pavilion has a unique atmosphere. This is underlined by elegant and distinctive "Little Perillo" chairs from Züco and the "Ecco" bistro table from Dauphin.

The corporate design played a central role when furnishing the building. A modern office environment should also encourage communication and the sharing of ideas between colleagues. The single and double offices at the previous company headquarters have been replaced by an open-plan office structure with numerous open spaces. This is now home to around 400 employees from the accounting, controlling, marketing, purchasing, HR, sales and development departments. The managers' offices are the only exceptions here.

When furnishing the new open-plan offices, those responsible were keen to achieve a clearly structured office environment with a standardized look. They opted for the "modul space" tubular furniture system from Bosse Design. Based on a combination of three components – enclosed connectors, chrome modular tubing and modular panels – the system makes it possible to create harmonious furniture with a high-quality yet understated look. This makes it the ideal choice when it comes to incorporating the company's corporate design into the furnishings too.

Bosse Design supplied around 400 desks and more than 100 sideboards for the Leica headquarters. By complementing the walls and floor coverings, the furniture fits perfectly into the subtle colour scheme. This is mainly black and white, with only occasional contrasts in Leica red.

 

BUILDING FACT FILE:

Architecture:  Gruber + Kleine-Kraneburg Architekten
Office planning: Spielmanns Officehouse                          
Manufacturers of public-area furnishings: Desks and sideboards from the “modul space” modular furniture system by Bosse Design, a brand of the Dauphin HumanDesign Group. "Little Perillo" chairs from Züco and "Ecco" bistro tables from Dauphin (Café Leitz), both brands of the Dauphin HumanDesign Group.