For 30 years, Gefässerie has been designing vibrant, green living spaces for its customers with a great sense of aesthetics and passion. At the beginning of this year, Gefässerie moved into its new premises in Fuchsstadt, Franconia. The owners, Achim Eilingsfeld and Heike Schneider, put their ecological and energetic thinking at the heart of this project and created a truly unique architectural concept!
Heike Schneider and Achim Eilingsfeld have done what most ‘green thinkers’ can only dream of; a true green paradise as their own company building in Fuchsstadt, completely conceived according to the principle of Biophilic Design. Biophilic Design stands for the integration of nature in architecture and the connection between man and nature. Natural elements such as plants, wood and stone have been incorporated into the interior design. ‘We are very satisfied: The synergy of high-quality materials, modern design and the integration of nature makes our working environment a place where creativity and efficiency go hand in hand,’ explains Achim Eilingsfeld.
Visitors are welcomed by green entrance
Visitors and employees are welcomed by a sustainable and lush green wall as soon as they enter the building. It provides a nice contrast to the sober spatial effect and also ensures a pleasant, healthy indoor climate. ‘We have been working very well with Mobilane for many years and our customers have had the best experiences with the systems. This is why we also decided to use many of Mobilane’s patented greenery systems in our own new building,’ continues Achim Eilingsfeld. The patented LivePanel wall vegetation system was chosen for the greening of 15 square metres in the entrance area. It is a modular plant wall system with interchangeable plant cassettes. The cassettes have slots into which the plants are placed. Each row of cassettes is placed in a profile, which also serves as a water reservoir. The water is absorbed by the plants through the capillary function of the special fabric on the back of each cassette, which hangs out in the water-filled profile. For the planting, Gefässerie chose the ‘Blue Lagoon’ plant mix pre-cultivated by Mobilane. This mix creates a unique exotic colour combination. To keep the greenery lush and green, the plant wall is automatically watered with rainwater and fertilised.
Meeting room with a better indoor climate
Over 6 square metre plant wall was also incorporated in the design of the meeting room
‘Besides the good climate in the room, we especially appreciate the improvement of the acoustics in the room thanks to the green wall. Especially in meeting situations, it is important that everyone involved feels comfortable and that the atmosphere is good,’ says Achim Eilingsfeld. Mobilane’s patented LivePanel system was also used here. For the planting of the cassettes in the meeting room, the plant mix ‘Breath of fresh air’ was chosen, a standard indoor mix consisting of; Nephrolepis Duffy, Calathea Amabilis, Spathiphyllum Cupido, Phlebodium Blue Star and Nephrolepis Green Lady. All plant species in this mix are known to be good air purifiers and are therefore ideally suited for a perfect meeting climate. The water supply to the plant wall is controlled via a separate water tank.
For Heike Schneider and Achim Eilingsfeld, it was especially important to create an inspiring atmosphere for their employees in the large office. They therefore chose the modular room divider LiveDivider PLUS3 to divide up the office. This unique system allows modules with interchangeable plant cassettes to be stacked on top of each other as required. Employees really enjoy their attractive green eye-catcher and appreciate the positive features: the good air, the improved acoustics and, above all, the privacy that the LiveDivider PLUS3 creates for concentrated and productive work.
The LivePicture4, planted with green lilies, and the LivePicture2 with Monstera monkeys in the office of Heike Schneider and Achim Eilingsfeld create atmosphere and tranquillity. ‘Just hanging the LivePictures can have a regenerating and calming effect. Especially when things are stressful, it is very pleasant. We wouldn’t want to do without our lush LivePictures,’ says Heike Schneider.
A pioneering product for green cities
‘With our new company building and the decision to go completely green on the outside as well, we want to contribute to the positive development of the urban climate and have also thought about the people working in our offices. Besides the frequent greenery inside the building, the ‘green cover’ can also provide a better indoor climate, especially for coolness in the hot summer months. A stone facade heats up to 60 degrees in summer. A green facade not only cools, but also purifies the air. Plants absorb heavy rainfall and bind CO2. This improves the air and makes the climate more pleasant,’ said Achim Eilingsfeld.
After a tour through and around the new Gefässerie company building, the truly unique greenery with all its highly individual product benefits, one simply has to realise: the green, lush paradise is simply beautiful and is a feast for every observer’s eyes.
MobiPanel for climate-proof buildings
A total of 172 square metres of the four exterior walls of the main building and one wall of the warehouse were greened with Mobilane’s patented MobiPanel system. ‘The particular challenge in greening our building was that it is not a continuous surface, but the individual walls of the building are interrupted by doors and windows. However, thanks to the modular design of MobiPanel, this could be realised without any problems,’ says a delighted Achim Eilingsfeld. The modular vertical greenery system consists of interchangeable plant cassettes filled with substrate. Each cassette is 40×40 cm. The MobiPanel system is quick and easy to install and attach. The Gefässerie chose pre-planted cassettes, which are lovingly and carefully cultivated in Mobilane’s nursery for 3 months. The plants absorb water from the internal water reservoir through a capillary microfibre cloth. An automatic irrigation and drainage system ensures a balanced water supply and efficient water consumption.
For the greenery, Gefässerie chose plants suitable for the site, such as Ionicera nitida, carex morrowii, alchemilla mollis, livione muscari, geranium cambridge, vinca minor, geranium rozanne, phlox subulata and campanula port, which add to the local biodiversity.
‘From the beginning, it was important to us that there should be no visible system or ‘frame’ in the green building. We absolutely succeeded in that! The greenery runs perfectly around the corners and edges. We are very happy with the dense and lush greenery!’ reports Heike Schneider.
Extensive green roof with MobiRoof ECO
For the building’s green roof, the company chose Mobilane’s ready-to-use MobiRoof ECO system, which consists of cassettes filled with substrate and planted with sedum. The cassettes were simply fitted together. This created an attractive green roof quickly and easily. MobiRoof ECO green roof system is modular and circular. The material of the cassettes consists of a recycled raw material that is also fully recyclable. This reduces waste and protects the environment. The cassettes are pre-grown with plants from Mobilane’s own nursery.
‘The roof immediately looked beautifully overgrown. Because the extensive green roof is so low-maintenance, it will stay that way,’ says an elated Heike Schneider. Thanks to the extensive green roof, UV rays no longer reach the roof cladding. The cassettes also protect the roof from all other weather influences. Both factors contribute to the durability of the roof.
To combat climate change and make cities more liveable, more projects like the Gefässerie building are urgently needed. Thus, every building owner can contribute to promoting biodiversity, reducing noise, binding particulates in the city, retaining rainwater and improving the cooling effect!
