Large canteen with an uplifting atmosphere
A modern canteen for almost 1500 employees has been created as part of a €70 million new-build project at Stadler Rail AG in Berlin-Pankow.
Stadler Deutschland GmbH is now one of the biggest industrial employers in Berlin, after Stadler founded Stadler Pankow GmbH in a joint venture with Adtranz in 2000, taking over the plant with its then 197 employees. Ernst Stadler laid the foundations for the company back in 1943 with the establishment of an engineering firm in Zurich. In 1945 Stadler began producing battery-powered and diesel engines.
Today, the centre of excellence for the development of trams and light-rails as well as metro rail cars is located in Pankow. The new build, spanning a total area of 24,000 m2 including a large production hall, offices and the canteen, was planned and realised by general contractor stahl + verbundbau GmbH.
Bright, open and inviting
The modern canteen offers plenty of indoor and outdoor space for staff. The light-flooded interior features plenty of tables of different heights, with bar stools and dining chairs in earth tones. The seating ranges from smaller tables with up to four seats to larger group tables arranged around an open-plan food counter.
The canteen basks in light thanks to its large, floor-to-ceiling windows, and the generous green plants create an inviting atmosphere. Within the canteen there is also a separate lounge area, which blends in nicely thanks to its dark-framed glass elements, reinforcing the open character. At the back of the canteen there is a cosy seating area with comfy, blue armchairs where staff can relax with a drink after their meal. This paired with the blue wall motif, which resembles a route plan, creates an impressive colourful contrast to the rest of the furnishings.
Floating acoustic cloud ceiling as a design element
Light floor tiles in beige and grey are combined with furniture of light wood and dark metal as well as grey/white walls and ceilings. Particular attention was paid to the acoustically and aesthetically optimised design of the ceilings in the fit-out of the canteen. They are designed as open industrial ceilings, leaving the concrete and ventilation ducts and outlets visible. A particularly important design element are the many square and oblong floating acoustic clouds in natural brown with sleek, integrated lighting elements.
They combine with open modular space dividers to split the room into different ‘booths’, giving the canteen a cosy feel in spite of its height. Together with black acoustic wall elements with a linear pattern, this creates a very uplifting atmosphere in the room, in which wall decoration has been used deliberately sparingly.
