Bene Office Furniture

Office.Info December 2005

Dear Reader,

Rooms constitute the built reality of designs as well as reflections on design; the real-life copies of abstract concepts – of our living space, urban space and, last but not least, office space. Accordingly, the theme of our double edition of Office.Info for December 2005 and January 2006 is space as a process, as a place subject to change. Read our new series to find out what makes office planning successful – from a needs analysis to a concrete spatial concept. Two built examples will open up new spaces of perception to you.

A new vision of space requires visionaries. We shall introduce you to two of them: Wendelin Wiedeking, the CEO of F. Porsche AG, who develops his speedy thought construct ranging from mental to cubic space capacities; and Zaha Hadid, the architect diva who likes to reinvent the three dimensions, and who loves to play with perspectives, vistas and enormous volumes. Read our portrait of this star architect and see how she interprets space as a vision. Take her latest success, for example, the central building of the new BMW plant in Leipzig. As our faithful readers of Office.Info might gather, this leads us to the next article, which describes our new reference project: office furnishings for this spectacular architectural landmark.

To perceive the processes peculiar to space requires a fourth dimension: time. In this respect, it seems that at this very season of the year, the lights come on in us when all the fairy lights and Christmas decorations illuminate the city and transform the public space into a glittering, festive scenery. Read some controversial opinions on holiday decorations and glittering lights, and become part of the discussion process. It will all be soon over anyway - by the New Year at the latest.

Enjoy a splendid season reading – with our best wishes for a positive start into the New Year!
Yours
Bene Editorial Team

OFFICE TRENDS

COMPACTOFFICE
Next Step: Space Meets Layout – the 5th Dimension

Space to live – living space – office space: For architects and planners, these concepts are much more than the combined result of four walls and a simple roof over your head. Rooms are the real-life representations of abstract concepts, concrete transformations of designs and reflections into reality.

PERSONALITIES

PERSONAL SPACE:
Wendelin Wiedeking on Mental Space and Cubic Capacity

CEO of the F. Porsche AG, Wendelin Wiedeking manages a company associated with big dreams and fast cars. He often wonders why feature articles praise him as a particularly modest and frugal person. His personal environment is largely free of status symbols.

PERSONALITIES

Zaha Hadid - Space as a Vision

“There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one”: a claim formulated by architect Zaha Hadid. She is a star of the architectural scene, a visionary. She has recently inaugurated the central building of the BMW plant in Leipzig, a scene she stages in a dynamic play of perspectives and dimensions.

PROJECT

BMW, Leipzig, DE

At its new site in Leipzig, the global automobile leader BMW produces the BMW 3 Series at a capacity of up to 650 cars a day. For the first time in automotive history, body shell construction, paint shop, assembly and administrative offices are located under one single roof. The contract for designing the central building was awarded to star architect Zaha Hadid.

BOOK

Home Space Planning:
A Guide for Architects, Designers, and Home Owners

Through the use of "before" and "after" plans, this text offers the architect and the client a more cost-effective way of re-designing a typical residential layout. Each floor plan shows the original design with graphic devices to demonstrate how the design changes were made.