TRUMPF Hungary Office building and showroom in Gödöllő

Architecture: Barkow Leibinger Gesellschaft von Architekten, Óbuda Group
Text: Mária Tatai
Photos: Tamás Török / Topogram

Based in Ditzingen, the German company, which has become international during its 100 years of existence, has been present in Hungary since 2013. Opened last year, its headquarters in Gödöllő’s Industrial Park is also a training and exhibition centre. The 10-metre-high, trapezoidal volume has a corrugated-plate façade that suggests an industrial building, but what makes it particularly interesting and unique is its south-facing glazed façade and its roofs of different dimensions and pitches. The aluminium cladding, with its twinkling lights, and the floating roof edges lend a lightness to the huge box shape, which, like an architectural signpost, indicates that the visitor arrived at the right place: the home of a company that also specializes in metalworking. The generosity of proportions, the clear layout and the careful attention to architectural details create a pleasant atmosphere.

The main attraction of the building is the vast hall, where precision sheet metal forms and high-tech laser technology can be seen at close quarters, visible also from the gallery that runs along the total length of the building. The imposing space is bridged by a 20-metre-span wooden roof slab with its tall, glued structural beams.

The four dominant materials – metal, concrete, glass and wood – are naturally expressed and exposed. The metal cladding defines the exterior, but the industrial ‘box’ is still made distinctly architectural by the variably sized larch window frames. Inside, the smooth, exposed concrete walls provide a neutral grey backdrop, while the large glazed surfaces bring the outside world closer. Wooden structures and cladding counterpoint the cooler grandeur to create a welcoming sense of space.

Concept: Frank Barkow, Regine Leibinger – Barkow Leibinger, Berlin
Architects: Heiko Krech, Christian Coburger, Kate Bilyk, Zsofia Mester, Ina Reinecke, Ana Skrebic, Tereza Spindlerova, Annette Wagner
Elevation: Knippers Helbig, Berlin
General planning: Óbuda Group
Lead architect: Róbert Geiszter
Architects: Nikoletta Ács, Judit Lakatos, Zsuzsanna Ötvös, Márta Ilona Darabos, Ádám Farkas, Péter Salavecz, Balázs Simon
Environment protection: Tamás Nagy – Denkstatt Hungary
Garden, landscape: Katalin Zentai – Vár-Kert
HVAC: PPR Plan
Electrical engineering: Hungaroprojekt
Structures: Optimum Detail
Building automatization: IBMS Plan
Geothermal energy: I-Geonetic
Main contractor: Strabag
Management, technical survey: Óbuda Group
Client: TRUMPF Hungary