The Customer and Training Center is located in a wetlands area adjacent to a campus of existing factories begun in the 70’s. With in a master-plan by Skip Green, the site is characteristic of a Connecticut suburban industrial office park with light industrial buildings situated on generous parcels.
The freestanding pavilion responds to these landscapes, its pinwheel like plan rotating and orienting itself to ponds and meadows. A double-height demonstration hall featuring laser machine tools is wrapped by supporting programs including a lobby, cafeteria, lounge, theater and offices.
The hall is tinged at the second level by a suspended catwalk for viewing which links additional offices and conference rooms. The steel-frame structure is infilled with an iron-spot brick on the exterior and a sandblasted concrete block on the interior. Double height spaces are enclosed by a steel frame stiffened by tension rods. Green solar glass is inserted into these frames. Floors are covered in slate or acrylic work surfaces. Laser-cut stainless steel guardrail insets and light deflectors complement birch wood built-in furniture.
Architects — Barkow Leibinger, Berlin, Frank Barkow, Regine Leibinger
Team Design — Veronika Schmid
Program
Central Space, Entrance, Café, Class Rooms, Meeting Rooms
Location
Farmington, CT, USA
Size
3.300 sqm
Construction
1997 - 1999
Awards
2002 Business Week, Architectural Record Good Design is Good Business Award
2000 AIA Connecticut Design Awards
Client
Trumpf Inc.
Construction Management
The Casle Corporation
Contact Architect
AMS Architects, Avon CT Andrew Smith (Project Architect), James Becker (Project Coordinator)
Structural Engineer
Richard Szesczak Associates
Mechanical Engineer
Quinlan, Giannoni and Livingston Inc.
Landscape Architect
Donald Planning and Development Inc.