COMMERCIAL FLOORING | United Kingdom
Owner: Helmut Wälde
Architect: VONBOCK ARCHITEKTEN
Location: Holzheim district of Göppingen
Completion: 2009
Photos: VONBOCK ARCHITEKTEN
Product: Scala 100 designer tiles, metal oxyde argentum

"Pillbox" in Göppingen

Pharmacy and café under one roof

Combining the pleasant with the practical: what applies to everyday life also applies to architecture. A pharmacy with a cosy café, shaped in the form of a tin pillbox, finds its home on one of the busiest thoroughfares of Göppingen.

In conceiving this building, VONBOCK ARCHITEKTEN had to consider three design challenges. Firstly, this small plot had to provide maximum usable space and parking for two businesses. Secondly, the building's two business areas should have a coordinated design, and finally, it should harmonize well with the surrounding traditional half-timbered houses and modern high-rises.

To fit the local streetscape, it continues the rooflines of the surrounding buildings. The highly rounded pillbox form allows one to drive around it and enter from either side. Not only does this create ample parking opportunities, it also gives the pharmacy a drive-in character, fitting the needs of this high-traffic thoroughfare. "Inspired by classic car body construction, we chose a cream-coloured rear-ventilated Alucobond metal façade, which is fitted over a prefabricated wooden substructure and attached with just a few screws", explains architect Klaus von Bock.

The pillbox concept extends to the pharmacy's interior design. Rounded forms dominate here too. The customer is pleasantly surprised by open-concept ceilings at a generous height. Above the interior are fully exposed, laminated wood roof beams with a cream-coloured glaze. In the upper third of the interior, the two business areas are divided by just a sheet of glass. The wooden ceiling therefore appears continuous, making both rooms seem larger. Friendly colour schemes produce a pleasant atmosphere.

An appropriate choice of floor covering also plays an important role in creating the overall look. Scala 100 designer tiles from Armstrong, in a light-coloured metallic effect, ensure a soothing atmosphere with high aesthetic value. Its restrained silver-grey blends in harmoniously with the surroundings, and the colour is reflected in the walls and furnishings of the café.


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  1. The building gets its name from its pillbox shape. The metal façade recalls classic car body construction.
  2. Interiors are dominated by light and friendly colours. The appearance of the continuous ceiling helps create a wider spatial impression.
  3. Scala 100 designer tiles in light-coloured metal oxyde argentum blend harmoniously into the friendly interior design, and the colour is reflected in individual furnishing elements.
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