Technology Center in Chicago
Machine and laser manufacturer Trumpf’s new Technology Center is a combined workshop and exhibition hall. The ensemble, which is accessed directly from the road, consists of two large buildings with gently sloping roofs and is surrounded at the rear by lawns, open groups of trees and a small artificial lake. The showroom facing the road and the northern building component with offices, training rooms and a café connect at a corner and define two external areas: the car park and main entrance to the southeast and a large curving terrace facing the green space in the northwest. The continuous mono-pitch roof is 12 m high at the southern facade, a steel-glass construction which presents a series of display windows to the road. In the showroom, networked machine tools in product lines demonstrate the process chain required to manufacture complex sheet metal components. A striking roof structure comprising eleven 44 m long, up to 3.6 m high Vierendeel steel trusses welded out of laser-cut sheets spans the interior space and, at the same time, showcases the company’s know-how. An open skywalk crosses the trusses at a height of 6.5 m, offering an impressive overview of the machinery and allowing the visitor to enter and appreciate this special roof structure. With its facades of corten corrugated steel sheets, extensive glazing and a careful choice of material and detailing, the complex combines industrial character with corporate elegance.
