Location and strict scheduling
The site is part of an industrial estate situated on the outskirts of Meiningen in Thuringia. The initial design of the project is the winning entry from an architectural competition initiated in 1998. The first construction stage was finished after a construction time of only 9 months in December 2000 and the second construction stage was also finished after 9 months construction period in December 2006. The architectural concept was further developed and specified in the design and planning process according to the clear and pragmatic factors and circumstances of the project without submitting it to them.

Modular structures
The proposed building structure directly responds to the requirements of contemporary production process as well as to the vital objective of creating high quality workspace. The building is comprised of modules. Three blocks and two intervals mark the first building phase. A two-storey high extension with courtyards complements the existing construction. The steel frame structure of the first building was extended respectively to the south with a concrete structure that appears analogue in the surface but different in it’s partitioning.

Development and landscape integration
The production and processing facilities literally form the base of the building and develop from within the slope out towards the open landscape with a distant view across the fields of Meiningen. The main entrance is on the upper level, where the conference rooms and other shared spaces are located and the office fingers are joined by an orthogonal bridge. From this side the building appears to be single-storey. Views through the double-height space into the landscape open up and the lucid building pattern becomes “transparent” at once. The service yard is accessible at ground level from the South with no interference of the main entrance.

Transparency and communicational atmosphere
Functional areas are organised and related to one another to facilitate effortless communication. Manufacturing and administration take place under one roof and are almost casually linked with one another without interference. Mainly glass-partitions provide acoustic separation but do not limit visual connections which contribute essentially to the light atmosphere of the spacious working environment. Thus, the process of teamwork throughout the company is encouraged. This theme is a central part of the pronounced working culture of ADVA AG and finds its unpretentious expression in the patterns materialised in the building as part of their corporate identity. Illumination of the working-places is solved in different ways: the significant roof-elements of the first stage generate daylight conditions throughout the building, giving the space a certain rhythm. In the second stage courtyards give light to the dense structure. The deliberately restricted use of materials, the literal transparency together with the light and friendly colours provide the scenery for an innovation-driven, team-oriented and optimistic working environment.