INTERVIEW HELMUT JAHN - ArchIdea

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INTERVIEW HELMUT JAHN
#32 / 2005

COLOPHON
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CONTENTS
INTERVIEW
HELMUT JAHN
The American-German architect Helmut Jahn strives for openness and transparency in his buildings. To him,
a building must be like a city, with the interaction between inside and outside, and between private and public
space that is so typical of a city.
FOCUS ON INTERIORS
AIRPORTS
Commerce is a new theme in international airport design. Large airports, like Schiphol Airport in The Netherlands,
have become complete cities. Other airports, like Seoul’s Incheon Airport in Korea, focus on efficiency and
functionality. At Sondica Airport near Bilbao, Spain, form and function go hand in hand.
PROJECTS
The interiors of several projects involving the use of floors and furniture surfacing from Forbo Flooring are
included as a form of inspiration. The projects are located in various parts of the world and show the many
possibilities provided by Forbo’s products.
SUMMARY
The summaries of both interview and article have been translated into 14 languages. Four translations are
included in this publication; for the remaining translations please refer to our website: www.archidea.com

‘I STRIVE FOR AN
ARCHITECTURE
FROM WHICH
NOTHING CAN BE
TAKEN AWAY’
Photo: Udo Hesse
Helmut Jahn:
During the interview at his office in Chicago, the architect
Helmut Jahn explained why it is so hard to make good
architecture in the United States and why he could do
such good work in Europe. ‘When I came to America in
the sixties,’ he said, ‘it was the place to be. I wonder if I’d
come here today.’
SONY CENTER, BERLIN, GERMANY (1999/2000)
Glass walls suspended from thin metal structures, office
buildings grouped in a triangle with an oval in the middle,
a central square protected from the rain by a glass
roof which seems to float in the air like a giant umbrella
- the Sony Center in Berlin is pivotal in the oeuvre of the
German-American architect Helmut Jahn (1940), president
of the architectural firm Murphy/Jahn. The Center
manifests what his architecture of the last ten years is
all about: layering, openness and transparency. Rather
than a closed fortress, the Center is a city within the city,
with minimal technical provisions and the maximum use
of natural resources. Never before has Jahn managed to
bring together all these qualities so well, nor to elaborate
them so distinctly and consistently.
- What promoted this leap forward?
‘The input from engineers. The collaboration with Werner
Sobek for the structure and with Matthias Schuler for the
environmental aspects. They really made me think differently
about façades, about different looks for different
buildings, which is not only an aesthetic but also a technical
effort. I learned to think about the consequences of
our designs on the structure, on the systems. And a good
engineer thinks in reverse and asks himself about the
stylistic consequences of the components and systems he
proposes. I’ve always tried to combine these things; I’ve
been wrestling with this for years. And when I think of
some of my earlier work, it really seems a fortunate coincidence
that I succeeded. I’m lucky to have this dialogue
and analysis. Most architects say: I want to use this type
of glass, even if it’s too reflective or doesn’t let enough
light in. However, the use of a certain type of glass might
change the comfort level; the mechanical side might have
to be adapted, and maybe more air should be fed in. ‘We
want our buildings to work like a machine - a machine that
will create a pleasurable environment. To some degree our
buildings regulate climate through the way they control
the shades, the operable windows, the lighting and the
air systems. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that
way. For example, in Germany - where individuals like to
exercise their freedom of choice - those who hate to have
their sunshades down at 10 in the morning override the
systems. They want to look out the window; they don’t care
if the sun shines in.’
- So how can one judge whether a building performs
successfully, whether it’s really pleasurable?
‘A building is hard to judge. It takes many years to find out
whether it works. It’s not as simple as asking the people
in the office whether they like it. And I’m not talking about
the applause from critics or outsiders. They’re entitled to
have an opinion - but how can they judge how comfortable
a building is? No critic is smart enough to judge how a
building will perform over time. Another problem in evaluating
architectural engineering is that every building is a
prototype. No two are alike; you’ve to find new solutions
each and every time.’
Helmut
Jahn
5

SONY CENTER, BERLIN, GERMANY (1999/2000)
Photos: Engelhardt/Sellin
Jahn calls his approach ‘Archi-Neering’, which fundamen- as long as you’re still able to achieve the same or a bettally
is a description of a work relationship. The architect ter result? This is also why we prefer the use of synthetic
and the engineer work together from beginning to end, rather than natural materials. Natural products are almost
that is, from the creation of a concept through the design too valuable. Wood is much harder to produce than metal.
and the functioning of the building structures and the ener- And metal is recyclable, while wood isn’t.’
gy and comfort systems, to the final completion. Systems - Do you strive for the disappearance of architecture?
and components are regarded as integrated rather than ‘I strive for an architecture from which nothing can be
separate building parts. Like the façade and the roof: taken away. I want to reduce as much as possible, to inte-
components which deal with daylight, natural ventilation grate what can be integrated and to separate what cannot.
and solar energy - transparent screens, which ideally are Transparency is not the same as looking straight through
as adaptive as the human skin.
a building: it’s not just a physical idea, it’s also an intel-
Jahn has always been interested in a transparent, technilectual one. It has to do with a layering of materials and
cal architecture and in working with glass and steel. In his systems. The Deutsche Post in Bonn is not transparent in a
earlier work, such as the Citicorp Building in Chicago, he physical sense. But the building reveals many things when
embraced the architecture of the elegant English green- you look at it from different angles, at different times of
houses of the nineteenth century. ‘Partly it had to do with the day or year, inside or outside, with or without light. In
the time: if you didn’t make that kind of reference, you a conventional building this is all hidden. The conventional
didn’t get the job. It caught on more in America than any- American office building is just such a mundane thing. It
where else, because America had always imported history. has a cheap curtain wall, a lousy sunshade that you lower
But we didn’t go as far as other firms; we tried to abstract manually and there’s no window to open. Air blows in,
it. The more literal the references, the less well the build- which makes it either too hot or too cold. We say, adhere
ings will survive over time. And the originals are always to the principles of ecology, energy efficiency and sustain-
better. What’s amazing about those greenhouses is that ability, and give the building other values than just this
when they were built, there were no regulations. They had cut-rate labelled product that is cheap to produce.
thin glass and there were no provisions for keeping out the - Your work started to change when you got com-
sun. Everybody simply accepted that it got very hot. The missions in Europe, especially in Germany. What
greenhouses had a lightness and transparency we seldom happened?
achieve. Nowadays we’ve all kinds of safety requirements: ‘It started with the clients. In Europe, they’re more
the façade has to be blast-proof, the glass has to be thicker demanding, as are the users, the ones that rent the build-
and laminated, and the structure has to be a lot heavier. ings. And then there are the engineers, who are a bit more
However, it’s my goal to make a building as immaterial as inventive over there. Last but not least, it has to do with
possible. Architecture is a very material thing. It takes a the contractor. The contractor must be willing to build on a
6 lot of resources, so why not eliminate what you don’t need higher and more sophisticated level.’
7
POST TOWER, BONN, GERMANY (1997-2003)
Photo: Andreas Keller
Helmut
Jahn

8
- Don’t architects in America have any ambitions as
far as designing is concerned?
‘The profession has lost a lot of its integrity, especially in
the USA. The general architect here has no scruples, no
ambitions. He’s often an executor for the most common
denominator, just for the sake of doing a job. All you’ve to
do is look at these apartment buildings. How do you deal
with light in these high-rises, with the interaction between
inside and outside? How do you ascend? These questions
are ignored. That’s what American architecture has lost.
When I came to America in the sixties, it was the place to
be. I wonder if I’d come here today.’
- Is it that negative? Didn’t you take anything good
from America to Europe?
‘Yes: the American attitude towards efficiency and execution.
It’s a certain pragmatism, one which should always
underlie architecture. Sullivan, Mies and Frank Lloyd
Wright were pragmatists. And since they were geniuses
too, they reached a higher level than others. In Europe,
architects consider themselves artists. They think they’re
special when they win a competition and that things will
get done the way they want them to be done. For me,
though, the fun is over when I get the job. A job changes
so much. By the time Sony was done, nothing was the same
as in the competition. The shape of the buildings, the roof,
it all changed. The better architects in Europe accept this
too: architects like Foster, Rogers and Von Gerkan. This
is one of the reasons German and English firms operate
internationally, while for instance French firms do not. The
only place where they all have work is in China. Anybody
can sell himself in China. These days, half of all projects
are in China. There are at least twenty competitions going
on at any one moment.’
- Does practicing architecture in China differ from
practicing it in Europe or America?
‘Yes: you don’t know what the Chinese expect in the way
of beauty. Sometimes the presentation is just a farce. You
come into a room filled with fifty people and they don’t
really talk to you. There’s very little interaction. When you
ask an important question halfway through the competition,
they simply ignore it. Sometimes they just take a quick
look at the models and then dash off. They don’t even get
to the plans, they don’t want that kind of sophistication.’
- Do you ever adapt culturally?
‘You have to be careful when making references, because
they can be bad, or even be demeaning for the historical
or cultural source. That’s why architecture nowadays is
abstract, an international architecture. The buildings differ
only in size. Chinese buildings are like American buildings,
with big footprints. People don’t care about daylight or
fresh air. Even there I try to do a façade that is geared to
daylight. But because of the big floors, the effect of daylight
on the total building is minimal.’
- You could say: it’s against my principles to build like
that, I won’t do it.
‘I’ve got a lot of people working here. Sometimes I have
to accept a job I don’t really want. Hardly anybody comes
up to you with a commission; it’s all competitions these
days. Competitions are a way to develop ideas you normally
wouldn’t sell to clients. But what worries me, is the
interest in architecture nowadays. You may come up with
a building that performs like a Formula 1 racing car, but
9
BAYER AG KONZERNZENTRALE (1998-2002)
Photo: Roland Halbe
JAMES R. THOMPSON CENTER (1979-1985)
Photos: Andreas Keller
Photos: Murphy/Jahn
Helmut
Jahn

HOTEL KEMPINSKI MUNICH, GERMANY (1994)
Photos: Engelhardt/Sellin
nobody can see it. People form their opinion based on a
product that is a piece of art itself: a video, a film, a model
made using the most expensive techniques. It’s a trick:
drawings that anybody can make with a computer, models
made of aluminium or solid plexiglass, cut out by the most
sophisticated lasers. They don’t represent the building, or
say anything about its performance.’
Europe gave Jahn the opportunity to further develop his
idea of public space that extends into the building. The
Sony Center is a good example of this, as are the Munich
Airport Center and the Kempinski Hotel in Munich. ‘The
model is actually the city. The leitmotif is the interaction
between private and public space. I did it in my projects
in Chicago, in the State of Illinois Center, in the Board of
Trade Building. It’s also how I look at airports. The way you
move through them: from the departure hall - which is like
a city square - to the boarding areas - which are the smaller
spaces - and down the narrow tunnel into the plane,
which is like a room. And as in any good city, if you make
this experience visible, if you make it happen experimentally,
it becomes successful. People don’t complain about
distances if the space is nice. You’d never think of taking
a cab if you had to walk a mile down Chicago’s Michigan
Avenue. But in a bad city you take a cab just to go around
the corner.’
10 11
MUNICH AIRPORT CENTER, MUNICH, GERMANY (1989-1999)
Photos: Engelhardt/Sellin
NEW BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, BANGKOK, THAILAND
Photo: Murphy/Jahn
Helmut
Jahn

AIRPORTS HAVE DEVELOPED INTO CITIES. In the olden days, people used to settle and build towns
near a ford in the river, a cross-roads or a harbour - places where they met and traded their goods.
Today’s airports provide a similar function. Particularly the large international ones are centres of
trade and entertainment. They’re complex and hybrid and, with their shops, cafés, restaurants, casinos,
stations, car parks and cinemas, are commercially attractive
AIRPORTS
to hotels and companies, which
cluster round them. New towns gradually develop near the ones they give access to and even start
to compete with them.
FOCUS ON INTERIORS:
SCHIPHOL AIRPORT
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
The development of Schiphol Airport is an illustrative
example. The original terminal - plain, rectangular and
functional - was built in the 1960s, when 4 million passengers
used the airport each year. However, the rapid
increase in the number of passengers (from 8 million in
1971 to 42 million in 2004) forced the airport to regularly
expand and adjust its facilities to modern standards. One
recent project was the renovation of the original building
and the extension of Lounge 1. The architectural firms
Benthem Crouwel and NACO wanted to refer back to the
original functionality of the old building while allowing
room for commercial activities. Schiphol had presented the
concept for these activities: Run, Fun and Surprise. ‘Run’
provides the basic shopping essentials (liquor, cigarettes,
books and magazines), ‘Fun’ offers enjoyment (mainly
cafés and restaurants) and ‘Surprise’ holds just that for
passengers who are on their way to the plane (casino and
coffee corners).
Taking the view that Schiphol is in fact a city, the architects
opted for the introduction of such elements as the square
and the street. A street now runs from passport control
all the way to the piers, and widens halfway along to form
a square. Schiphol’s commercial concept fits in well: the
street is lined with shops, while the square has shops,
cafés and restaurants. The street looks austere, bright,
white and reassuring: you know that you can quickly and
easily reach the plane. The square, which is two stories
high, stands out markedly: light beams cleave the space
beneath the black steel ceiling and reflect off the tiny
pieces of mirror embedded in the black floor tiles. Four
little wooden ‘islands’ in the square are reserved for such
activities as catering, promotion, sales and entertainment.
One of them even has a pond. This set-up prevents the
square from getting clogged up with commercial objects.
Attention has also been given to the walls that articulate
the square. The architects strove for simplicity in order
to allow room for further commercial additions without
losing the visual coherence of the building. Two austere
walls accommodate a number of shops, while a glass wall
provides a view of the aeroplanes.
Thus, the function of the airport has changed drastiing that many a person still finds flying an exciting
cally. An airport’s major concern used to be the effi- experience - or even something that is impossible and
cient processing of passenger flows. The programme defies logic. The architectural design of an internation-
was clear: the airport was a machine that processed al airport, however, presents totally different chal-
passengers. Room for poetry, if any, could be found lenges. The commercial activities there add an extra
only in the design of the roof: the architecture of the dimension: efficient passenger and luggage handling
airport was mainly the architecture of the roof. The does not exactly go hand in hand with the realm of
best-known example is the TWA Terminal at John F. temptation and allure. The world of commerce wants
Kennedy Airport (New York). It was designed by the the passenger to forget about flying for a while and
Finnish architect Saarinen, who used the shape of the to indulge in what it has to offer. Constantly changing
wing as a metaphor for flying.
passenger flows are another complicating factor. In
Most small, provincial airports are still not very addition, future growth must be taken into account.
complex: the processing of passengers is their only
concern and their central focus is on functionality.
If a design were to be tailored only to the needs of
the moment, the airport would end up either too big
Architects: Benthem Crouwel NACO, Amsterdam
Photos: Jannes Linders
Sometimes, though, architects design the terminal or too small.
12 as a reassuring, even ritual escort to the plane, know-
13
Airports

INCHEON AIRPORT
SEOUL, KOREA
The Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has given shape
to movement more than anyone else has. His bridges
and stations are evocative of skeletons, birds and wings.
They’re poetic structures. They evoke flying, Homo erectus,
the connection with space, the defying of gravity. Sondica
Airport (near Bilbao, Spain) is Calatrava’s first airport
design. It contains everything his architecture is known
for, including the poetry of roofs and ribs, which fan out
like wings or shields. It’s not high-tech; it doesn’t expose
technology. Rather, it strikes one as archaic and brings to
mind Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings of the flying man.
Sondica Airport is a small airport with only eight boarding
gates. It’s a conveniently arranged building that maintains
its coherence and functionality while displaying architec-
tonic exuberance. Calatrava’s design is more utilitarian
than it may seem and allows for future expansions. The
airport is an architectonic beacon nestled in the hills, guiding
passengers when they arrive or depart, and preparing
them for their flight or putting them back on the earth
again. The vast, polished granite floor and elegantly curved
ribs provide the main hall with a breathtaking spaciousness.
Daylight enters through the huge glass wall. The hall
narrows into a funnel, which leads the passengers up to
the boarding gates. The roof spans the offices, restaurants
and waiting areas in one generous sweep. Concrete and
glass are the major construction materials. The concrete
elements in the closed areas as well as part of the concrete
structure are clad in aluminium.
Photos: Palladium Photodesign,
Oliver Schuh/Barbara Burg
In contrast, at Incheon Airport (Seoul, Korea), there’s no Although the Incheon transport centre looks futuristic,
intermingling with commercial activities whatsoever. It’s an the expressive use of glass and steel refers back to the
extremely functional building - like an organ or a machine architecture of the nineteenth-century station halls. The
- which connects the station and the car park with the ter- steel construction is welded instead of assembled to form
minal, as though plugging one into the other. The passenger one whole - a typical Korean, or rather oriental, feature.
flows are efficient and expressive. The shape of the building The interior and exterior are more or less independent
reflects its function: the curves are reminiscent of flight of one another. Its arches, silver-grey coated aluminium
paths, while the tubes, bridges and escalators add dynam- panels, grey granite floors, and glass parapets and lifts
ics and guide the passengers’ movements. Terry Farrell & give the building a sculptural quality of its own. Many air-
Partners’ design is intended to prepare the passenger for ports lack any reference to the country’s cultural identity.
flying. Both the huge span of the curved, glass roof and the They’re international and exchangeable. However, Farrell
glass wall leading to the terminal point forward to what’s & Partners have used the pavilion-like structure and the
coming.
unobstructed view of a typical Korean garden to make this
14 reference.
15
Architects: Terry Farrell & Partners
Photos: Kim Jaen Youn, Young Chea
SONDICA AIRPORT
BILBAO, SPAIN
Airports

PROJECTS
Location Århus, Denmark
Architect Henning Larsen’s Tegnestue A/S
Flooring material Desk Top eleganza
Flooring contractor Charles Christensen A/S
Architect Jacob Vimpel
Commissioned by Albertslund Kommune
15
Commissioned by The Court in Århus
16
Desk Top eleganza 4164
ÅRHUS TINGLYNINGSKONTOR Office
Marmoleum real S287 Photo: Peter Jørgensen
Location
Flooring material
ALBERTSLUND BIBLIOTEK Public library
Albertslund, Copenhagen, Denmark
2,500 m 2 Marmoleum real
‘A closed, box-like architecture has
by the way of natural ventilation, lots
of skylight and a sparkling new floor
been transformed into a well laid out,
impressive building – the library is a
total of 2500 m 2 . Linoleum, with its
quality of the uninterrupted surface,
creates a natural flow through the
building. Moreover, it is easy to
maintain, pleasant to touch and com-
fortable to walk on. An old library
building with a poor working envi-
ronment has in all ways been turned
into a beautiful, popular and above
all healthy building for the benefit of
both employees and visitors’.

17
Artoleum piazza 5404
Location
Flooring material
Architect
General contractor
Flooring contractor
UNION BRYGGE Culture centre
Drammen, Norway
500 m 2 Artoleum piazza
Arne Finn Solli
Strøm Gundersen
Christiania Haandverk
SureStep 7776 SureStep 7724 SureStep 7758
Photos: Scott Burrows
Marmoleum real 3164
Location
Flooring material
Architect
Interior designer
Building contractor
Flooring contractor
Commissioned by
Location
Flooring material
Architect
Marmoleum real 3123 Marmoleum fresco 3824
BRISBANE VETERINARY SPECIALIST CENTRE
Specialist veterinary practice
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1,120 m 2 SureStep, Desk top eleganza and Bulletin Board
Archibett Pty Ltd, Alderley
Walter Betten
Hutchinson builders
Peter Kelly Flooring
Rod Straw
AUCKLAND HOSPITAL Hospital
Auckland, New Zealand
40,400 m 2 Marmoleum real, Marmoleum fresco, Novilux Natura, SafeStep,
Onyx and Bulletin Board
JASMAX, Auckland and McConnell, Smith + Johnson, Sydney
Merit Award for the International Best New
Veterinary Hospital 2005,
magazine Veterinary Economics.
Copyright photos: JASMAX and McConnell, Smith + Johnson
18

Marmoleum walton 155 Copyright photo: Engelen Moore Architects
Location
Flooring material
Architect
Flooring contractor
BARCOM AVENUE APARTMENTS
Residential apartments
Sydney, NSW, Australia
2,200 m 2 Marmoleum walton 2.0 mm and Corkment 2.0 mm
Engelen Moore Architects
Something Different Floors, Sydney
‘We have been using Forbo Marmoleum wal-
ton for many years in our residential projects
because of its environmental sustainability,
plain unpatterned colours and its almost
seamless appearance. This was of particular
importance in the Barcom Avenue project,
where we wanted the grey joinery wall and
the flooring to be an exact colour match
so as to become an ‘L’ shaped folded plane,
combined with the folded plane of the white
wall and ceiling opposite and locked together
by the brightly coloured bathroom pod.’
19 20
Marmoleum real 3030 Marmoleum real 3126
Location
Architect
General contractor
Building contractor
Flooring installer
Installation by
Flooring material
SESC – PINHEIROS Leisure centre
São Paulo, Brazil
Miguel Juliano
SP Gerência de Engenharia
Construtora Mendes Junior
Forpiso Revestimentos Especiais
Paulo Roberto Franco – Forpiso
4,700 m 2 Marmoleum real, Marmoleum walton, ColoRex SD sahara and Smaragd classic
Photo: Marcos Alberti

21
Marmoleum real 3137 Marmoleum real 3146 Photos: Filippo Simonetti
Location
Architect
Flooring material
General contractor
Flooring contractor
MAIRIE DE VALENCIENNES City hall
Valenciennes, France
INHA’RCHITECTES, Lille
1,200 m 2 Marmoleum real and Marmoleum fresco
Mairie de Valenciennes
Ets DEKERPEL, Cuincy
Location
Flooring material
Architect
Commissioned by
General contractor
Flooring contractor
LEE-ON-SOLENT SCHOOLS
Hampshire, UK
152 m 2 Marmoleum real 2.5 mm. Design: Aquajet technique
Format Milton Architects Ltd.
Hampshire County Council
Gregory Havant Ltd.
Dynamik Sports Ltd.
Marmoleum real 3047
Photos: Carlo Draisci
Eternal wood 11512 Photos: Tony Gorzkowsky
Location
Flooring material
Interior designer
Flooring contractor
Commissioned by
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
300 m 2 Eternal wood
Goldcrest Furnishing Contracts
Gordon & Halliday
Edinburgh University
Marmoleum real 3030
Marmoleum real 3160
Marmoleum real 3173
22

‘Dong A Pharmacy Co. Ltd. is designed to
satisfy the need of communication space
for serial functional working.
We focused on the economical and func-
tional design, and tried to introduce a
new way to office space design. After a
lot of examination and discussion, the
client who asked for the environmen-
tally-friendly materials, chose Forbo
Copyright photos: Min Associates
Marmoleum as the most suitable material
Artoleum 5075
Artoleum 5515
23 for their office flooring.’
24
Location
Flooring material
Interior designer
Installation
DONG A PHARMACY CO. LTD. Office building
Seoul, Korea
1,200 m 2 Artoleum 2.5 mm and Bulletin Board 6.0 mm
Min Associates
Linoleum Korea

25
SureStep 7773 Photos: Mr. Dong Bin
Location
Flooring material
Interior architect
Floor designer
Flooring contractor
Installation
Marmoleum real 3126 Marmoleum vivace 3403
Location
Flooring material
Shanghai, China
HARBIN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY
OFFICE BUILDING
Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
52,000 m 2 Smaragd classic and SureStep
GYMBOREE Day care centre
700 m 2 Marmoleum real 2.5 mm and Marmoleum vivace 2.5 mm
Shanghai Gordon Hua Interior Design Co., Ltd.
Mr. Gordon Hua
Shanghai Emerald Trade Co., Ltd.
Shanghai Xiangfu Decoration Co., Ltd.
Photos: Mr. Feng Xiao-tian
Marmoleum real 3055 Marmoleum real 3120 Marmoleum real 3146 Marmoleum fresco 3825 Marmoleum fresco 3824 Marmoleum vivace 3403 Photos: Barry Rustin Photography
Location
Flooring material
Architect
Interior architect
General contractor
PRISCO COMMUNITY CENTER
Park district community center
Aurora, Illinois, USA
Marmoleum real and Marmoleum fresco 2.5 mm
Cordogan Clark & Associates, Aurora
Mike Konopka
Commercial Floor Covering Associates Inc., Lombard
26

27
Marmoleum vivace 3403
Marmoleum vivace 3407
Location
Installation
Flooring material
UMC ST RADBOUD Hospital
Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Verag Vloerenbedrijf BV, Arnhem
800 m 2 Marmoleum real, Marmoleum dual, Marmoleum fresco
and Marmoleum vivace 2.5 mm.
Photos: Studio Van Wijk, Krommenie
ColoRex SD 150248
‘We were looking for a type of floor
covering that would do justice to the
historical value of the building, while
supporting the new, modern
architectonic features.
With its wide range of colours, pos-
sibilities and looks, Forbo linoleum met
both conditions.’
Marmoleum real 3126
ColoRex SD 150204 ColoRex SD 150207 ColoRex SD 150233 ColoRex SD 150209
Marmoleum fresco 3824
Location
Flooring material
Interior architect
Flooring contractor
Location
Flooring material
Architect
General contractor
Installation by
MENCIA DE MENDOZA SCHOOL
Breda, The Netherlands
1,500 m 2 ColoRex
Oomen Havermans Waltjen, Breda
G&S, Tilburg
BADHUIS School and day care centre
The Hague
1,018 m 2 Marmoleum real 2.5 mm and Marmoleum fresco 2.5 mm
Bos and Alkemade Architects, IJsselstein
J. Overes, Bodegraven
Vloerenbedrijf Hol, Heteren
Photos: Herman van Doorn, Utrecht
28

29
Location
Flooring material
Architect
General contractor
Installation
Oosterhout, The Netherlands
5,540 m 2 Marmoleum real and Marmoleum dual 2.5 mm
Jeanne Dekkers Architectuur, Delft
Eijkelenburg Dura Bouw, Rosmalen
Klerkx Projectservice VOF, Tilburg
‘On the outside the design is robust and
powerful. It’s reminiscent of a ship that
accommodates all the provisions the
neighbourhood has to offer. Inside the
building there’s a play of light and colour.
In this way, the central hall forms the
heart of the neighbourhood’.
Marmoleum real 3128 Marmoleum dual 841 Photos: Christian Richters, Münster
VOORZIENINGENHART Multifunctional centre
Marmoleum real 3131 Marmoleum real 3135 Marmoleum fresco 3828
Photos: Olaf Mahlstedt, Landesbildstelle LSV
Marmoleum dual 511
Location
Flooring material
Architect
Flooring contractor
Location
Flooring material
Architect
Interior architect
General contractor
Flooring contractor
Marmoleum real 3030 Marmoleum real 3131
SCHULE FÜR KÖRPERBEHINDERTE Educational facility
Werl, Germany
2,200 m 2 Marmoleum real and Marmoleum fresco
Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb LSV, Westfalen Lippe
Kunze, Essen
ASZ HOSPITAL
Geraardsbergen, Belgium
2,800 m 2 Marmoleum real 2.5 mm and ColoRex
Koen van der Mynsbrugge, Geraardsbergen
Raf Sterck, Aalst
Jan de Nul, Aalst
NV Tint, Hofstade
Photos: Coen Dekkers, Delft
30

Marmoleum real 3032 Marmoleum real 3146
Marmoleum real 3173
Marmoleum fresco 3847 Marmoleum fresco 3855
Wajiro, Fukuoka City, Japan
6,000 m 2 Marmoleum real and Marmoleum fresco 2.0 mm
Taira Architectural Design Office
Mr. Yoshito Nagasawa, One-Off Corporation
Obayashi Corporation
Selkon Co., Ltd. / Kajiya Shokai
Söderköping, Sweden
600 m
Flooring consultant Selkon Co., Ltd. / Mr. Hiroshi Kojima
Photos: Mr. Shinja Kawakami / Kawakami Photo Studio
2 31
Location
Flooring material Marmoleum real
32
Architect Janson & Sedihn arkitekter, Söderköping
Flooring contractor
RAMUNDERSKOLAN School
Firma Bygge, Linköping
Photos: Per Arvidsson
Novilux natura 2790 SafeStep 7583 SafeStep 7527
Photos: Mr. Simo Karjalainen / Rakennussuunnittelutoimisto arkkitehdit Määttä Oy
Location
Flooring material
Architect
General contractor
Building contractor
Installation
Flooring consultant
Location
Flooring material
Architect
Interior design
General contractor
Flooring contractor
Installation
MÄNTYKOTI Elderly home
Puolanka, Finland
1,750 m 2 Smaragd classic, Smaragd relief, Onyx, Novilux natura and
SafeStep
Rakennussuunnittelutoimisto arkkitehdit Määttä Oy / Mr. Simo Karjalainen
Puolangan kunta
Rakennusliike Palmberg
Kajaanin sisustajat
Viitoset-ketju
FUKOKA WAJIRO HOSPITAL
NITs