Goldhauben-Webe is an independent family business with 100 years in the textile market. The Linz, Austria-based company recently underwent an architectural expansion which was completed by the same architecture firm who built the company’s headquarters 30 years ago. Architekturbüro|Klinglmüller ZT GmbH, also of Linz, revitalized the building by providing an extension that spoke to the company’s innovative future.

The interior layout of the building was expanded to accommodate a circular sample room where the company can showcase its product line. The second story is reserved for meeting space with a heavy influx of natural light from the exterior. The architects designed a parametric, rear-ventilated Alucobond PLUS façade that spans the extension to provide a connective space between the original and adapted exterior.

Interestingly, the façade utilized a series of cutting edge fabrication techniques to produce its perforated form. The fabricators at Rudolf Schmidhofer employed computer modeling software to prefabricate the individual panels and then installed them utilizing adhesive without the need for additional fixing techniques. Integrated LED lighting was incorporated between the horizontal openings and runs the length of the façade to provide a dimensional exterior at night.

Representatives at Alucobond Europe describe, “Combining experience with innovation is characteristic of the traditional Goldhauben-Webe Company, which sees experience as the mainstay of its success over the course of its 100-year plus history. The present owner took over the then small company at the age of twenty and laid the foundation for an industrial clothing manufacturer.”

The extension intentionally spoke to the contemporary architectural styles of the company’s newest partnering generation, the sons. As if blending old with new, the architectural styles blend seamlessly as the company embarks on the next century in this competitive marketplace.

photography courtesy of Goldhauben-Webe