Page 140 - AIT0919_E-Paper

VERKAUF UND PRÄSENTATION • RETAIL AND PRESENTATION TECHNISCHER AUSBAU • TECHNICAL SOLUTIONSVERKAUF UND PRÄSENTATION • RETAIL AND PRESENTATION TECHNISCHER AUSBAU • TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS

M unich is well-known as the metropolis with a heart. But where does the heart
of Munich actually beat? From mid-September to the beginning of October,
definitely on Theresienwiese during the Oktoberfest! For the rest of the year, howe-
ver, it beats at Karlsplatz! Located halfway between the main station and Marien-
platz, the semicircular piazza with the historic Karlstor is the gateway to the inner
city. This is where tourists, newcomers and locals meet. And if a luminaire manu-
facturer from Italy moves north, then definitely here – to Karlsplatz, house number
3! For almost three years, Anna Leitner has been running the German business of
Panzeri. The Karl is her office, her showroom, her light lab. She calls it a Designloft
3
and also points to her partners, Ecliss, the sliding-doors specialist, and the Estel of-
3
fice-furniture brand! The two companies are also from Italy and also use the Karl as
their showroom. Thus here – in the heart of Munich – the best of Italian design and
craftsmanship is combined!

The idea for the Designloft quasi already existed in the premises

When Anna Leitner approached me for a Panzeri & Partners showroom at Karlsplatz
and showed me the leased property, it did not take long until the Designloft concept
was established. It quasi already existed in the premises! These are on the ground
floor of a commercial building from the time of the reconstruction after the Second
World War and adjacent to the Seidl buildings. The building has the concrete con-
struction typical of the period with large spans, thick round columns and striking de-
tails. It is accessed through a charming little courtyard. At the back there was already
a large terrace surrounded by firewalls and rear façades. Something like this is no-
wadays called “urban chic”! The impressive concrete coffered ceiling was exposed,
all the old partition walls were removed and the floor was covered with new indu-
strial screed. Everything was to look unobtrusive and rough to create as strong a con-
trast as possible to the glossily-brushed and – in the best sense of the world – shining
products by Panzeri. Today, these are freely distributed across the central main space
and the few adjacent secondary rooms – a meeting room, a separated double office,
Der Künstler Dan Flavin hat das Lichtlabor inspiriert. • The artist Dan Flavin inspired the light laboratory. kitchen, WC and the so-called light lab for presenting Panzeri’s own collection of ar-
chitectural lighting. In the light lab, the Panzeri products are to be shown in a com-
Die Möbelentwürfe sind bis ins letzte Detail durchdacht. • The designs are thought out down to the last detail. pletely new and different way. The starting point for this is the Monument series by
the US-American light artist Dan Flavin who represents the silhouette of well-known
New York high-rises with the help of light lines and in most cases presents these ob-
jects in pure white museum rooms. The Panzeri light lab is thus neutral as well. It is
enlivened by different arrangements of luminaires from the architectural lighting ca-
talogue which paint various abstract images onto the walls. At the same time, the
“white room” of course also allows the intensive perception of various light scena-
rios with different light intensities and light colours.

The room holds back to let the products shine

The interior construction of the actual showroom in turn followed a simple thought:
the restriction to black, white and grey to give a neutral setting to the variety of lu-
minaires. Coordinated with this, all the installations were also designed to be unob-
trusive in their form and consist of the same material. Simple OSB panels were used
which were, however, elaborately processed and, stained black, given a noble finish.
They were used to construct large luminaire platforms and displays in the form of
transport boxes arranged along the walls. The core piece, placed in the centre of the
room, was to be a working island. This is where Anna Leitner and her in-house
lighting-planning team are sitting. The “workstation” is separated by chest-high side-
boards which offer plenty of storage space and screen the working area without clo-
sing it off. The room-partitioning sideboards arranged in a U-shaped layout are also
made of the afore-mentioned black OSB panels. For the details of the furniture, at-
tention was paid to as much of a monolithic effect as possible. The cupboard doors
are thus mitre-cut. In addition, push-to-open fittings were installed which make ope-
ning handles unnecessary. The working island dominates the room as a “black
block” and, as to its form, colour and material, emphasized the loft character. In its
rectilinearity, the “workstation” architecture not last supports the showroom concept
where all the installations produce as calm a background as possible for the lumi-
naires displayed. The furnishing of the “workstation” as well as the secondary rooms
is of course by Estel, whereas the sliding doors are from the Eclisse collection.

140 • AIT 9.2019