SMV Eduard Gerlach GmbH from Lübbecke redesigned its headquarters and developed a modern spatial concept for the new canteen building, the GEHWOL Lounge.
Canteen as a place of well-being: GEHWOL counts on relaxing work breaks
Relaxation during the lunch break is very important to the foot health specialist, Eduard Gerlach GmbH from Lübbecke, for its employees. For the fifth generation of the family-run company, the values of family feeling, employee orientation and well-being are the top priorities. In cooperation with interior designer Birgit Windmann, regional craftsmen and office furniture manufacturer SMV, a modern spatial concept was created for the new canteen building, the GEHWOL Lounge.
The GEHWOL lounge invites guests to stay
The GEHWOL Lounge invites visitors to stay and relax on an area of 400 square metres. The modern multifunctional space is not only a canteen, but also a lounge, meeting place, coworking space and brainstorming zone. As a meeting place and creative space, it is available to the employees throughout the day and is also actively used outside of break times. In terms of design, the GEHWOL lounge combines modern industrial culture with natural materials. Windmann uses cooled colours such as anthracite, blue, grey and green as a contrast to the oak parquet flooring and complements the existing industrial building elements with different light fixtures and materials.
Shaping interior design to perfection
One of the tasks for Birgit Windmann was to create a cosy, natural atmosphere in the new GEHWOL canteen, while making the space as flexible as possible for different uses. The interior designer from Hüllhorst and her team of four selected and designed suitable room elements and materials themselves during the design phase. Since regionality is important to Windmann, it was obvious to involve the office furniture manufacturer SMV in the spatial concept. The specialist for contract furniture from Löhne was tasked to provide modern seating solutions and a high degree of functionality: “It was a challenge to harmonise the demands on function, materiality and flexibility with an appropriate spatial structure and atmosphere. The SMV furniture, among others, contributed to this,” says Windmann.
Room partitioning by zoning and effective acoustic solutions
For the Lübbeck-based company, which represents the GEHWOL and GERLACH TECHNIK brands, it was important to divide the new canteen into communication zones, dining areas, but also rest zones. Generous dining tables adorn the large, square room. In the corners of the room, two lounge areas with armchairs and sofas offer space for quiet breaks or communicative work phases. Two round seating zones in the middle of the dining area not only visually divide the room, but also create versatile quiet zones here.
A sofa landscape with large, acoustically effective absorption surfaces was integrated into the lounge areas of the GEHWOL canteen. Individual modules allow the sofa to be arranged flexibly, which accommodates variable use of space. They are complemented by lounge chairs and coffee tables made of wood and steel. Modular element furniture ensure good acoustics in the quiet zone in the middle of the dining area. This allows GEHWOL employees to use the lounge not only to relax during their lunch break, but also as an opportunity for a variety of interactions in their daily work.
Eduard Gerlach GmbH has succeeded in bridging the gap between dining area, meeting place and creative zone.
