The topic of this diploma is a chocolate factory and flagship store for the company Niemetz, where the visitors can glance into the manufacturing process of the delights. The firm was founded in the late 19th century.
Their now existing coffee shops in Linz and Salzburg as well as their whole company image is based upon the vibe of the monarchic coffeehouses.


The idea is to develop a formal language drawing on the neoclassic ornaments and explore the different material conditions of chocolate that vary from liquid to solid and also have characteristic surface and structure qualities.
As the molded chocolates are simultaneously surface, ornament, the project shows that ornament as frieze, cornice and relief are not only decorative, but have the potential to become structural and volumetric while keeping their qualities like softness and plasticity.

The intention is to dissolve the ornamented graphical surface to a structural ornament.

molded pockets

The building becomes a machine itself as all the technical equipment is molded into the floor slabs and walls.
The molded pockets also work on a larger scale. The public area that pushes through the building as an open volume is a set of large pockets. These split level pockets allow the visitors to observe the fabrication from above or be part of the machinery by seeing it from below.

site plan

exploded view of the molded slabs







circulation of candy& public pockets in the machine


The circulation of candy is comprised of a network of pipes and conveyors moving ingredients and candy through the whole building .

The pockets dissolve from a solid surface to structure to create transparency and visually connect the fabrication and display areas.

facade diagram



The inclined interior walls are consistent with the façade diagrid in both angle and position.
The structure is expressed as relief on the solid surface, where fabrication areas need controlled light conditions. The surface gradually opens up in the public areas to let natural light in.
The façade thickens up around the openings to create sun shading.

section A-A

section B-B

top floor plan

first floor plan

ground floor plan

building system diagram


Cool air is lead through the atrium into the double floor slabs, from here it is distributed.
The used hot air is exhausted through the façade.

Greg`s midterm comments

You have a strong idea about the chocolate molded floors and the
integrated machines.

• The facade dia-grid does not match your initial ambition of transition. The

facade should be more solid and less frame.

• Move more in the direction of molded ornamental surfaces.


• Design is strong where sheets dissolve from a solid to screen. The

structure and enclosure have this strategy. Focus on this.

• Why chocolate? Different states of the same material: glossy, edible,

liquid, hard, soft, structure and surface.

• What is the actual material? There are a many possibilities; you need to

do material research. (Prix thinks concrete) Explore new materials, cast
fiber concrete for example.

• For the finish surfaces you can use different materials that occupy the

same surface: aluminum, leather, porcelain, etc.

• Focus on how you use this strategy. Focus on the concepts of your

architectural ambitions; do not focus too much on the factory.

• The renderings should show the focal points of your research and the

different conditions of materials.

• Remember, the building is only the point of departure. The purpose of the

project is to test your goals and ambitions.

• Currently too much screen, it is overwhelming the project. Build more

solid into the project.

• The facade is one surface that is 6 floors high on the exterior but develops

into 6 surfaces on the interior. The facade wants to work at 2 scales, and
it wants to show the dissolving of surface into structure. These are the
main goals of the facade.

• A color scheme could be a strong addition.





Final Presentation Focus:



• Show the building within the city. (façade)

• Show the detail of wall turning into machine, floor, ceiling... (1 to 1 model)
• Dont build an overall model instead build the following:

o 1:50 Facade Model with first 2 meters of the interior (relief surface

that turns into structure)
o 1:25 or 1:50 Interior Models of rooms with seams and different
materials. how do materials transition.
o Site Model 1:1000

facade studies










section



volute as a joint


circulation components

exploded programmatic view

Greg`s comments

  • Slides for kids: Charlie and Chocolate Factory? What is similar and what is not?
  • The program is loaded with character, but what is the architectural character?
  • Section: I want to see the chocolate building systems. What is the path of the chocolate? And what part of the process is visible.
  • It needs to be more than a metaphor on the façade. The section has a lot of potential.
  • Where the two worlds collide is a powerful design opportunity.
  • reDesign the actual factory components. *one week* Create the feeling of being in a giant machine. (in a victor horta way)
  • The façade will come but for now you should work on the sectional sequence and the factory qualities. "mouse trap"
  • Do not use vaults for organization. It needs to be an open volume.
  • You only need to work on one façade, focus more on spatial and volumetric design work.
  • Watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with the sound off!
  • Look at the Charlie Chaplin Film (the one in the factory)
  • Design the fancy apparatus not only the divisions.

Ornament Glossary


George Hersey -The lost meaning of classical architecture 1988. Ornamental components derive from ancient Greek sacrificial rituals

Owen Jones-The grammar of ornaments 1856 .
37 propositions about geometry ,form and color.


Semper-style in the technical and tectonic arts 1860
Origin of architectural ornament is in the process of construction

Loos-Ornament and Crime 1908
Material based ornament


Semper>>>>
Ornaments are results of material shifts.I would like to work with this idea and give them different materiality, that changes their scale, depht and funtion. (concrete, reinforced ceramics)

Materials


Ceramic tiles. Interior/Exterior.Very ornamented & completely flat and hygienic.
Reinforced Ceramics
(reinforced concrete??? pouring vs assembly)


How thick can a tile be until its not called a brick?

Transition from tile to brick

Institutional Identity & Facades

The facade should be like a crunchy crust on the praline that keeps the chocolate
filling from spilling

Daylight/Nightlight


Façade becomes image, image becomes façade
By day graphic icon-sunshade, air filter-By night luminous interior

Followers