The Burkhardt Leitner constructiv exhibition stand at the Eu-roShop 2014 showcases creative ways of employing its modu-lar architecture systems. It also honours the company’s foun-der on the occasion of his seventieth birthday. This year, thecompany’s core strengths – precision, innovation and modu-larity – team up with a strong emotional pull. The slogan ‘InLove with Detail’ frames surprising new ways of employing thecompany’s functional, minimalist system architecture, attractingattention from new target groups as well as the industry itself.
The external skin of the stand delivers the first surprise. Fa-bric has been stretched across the ‘constructiv pila’ systemfrom both sides to create a very special effect. On the outside,a transparent black gauze creates a consistent and homogenoussurface, upon which the rhizoid inner fabric casts a tantalisingshadow play. The inner fabric is a handmade effect viscose –which even appears for a moment in the opening credits of Ger-man crime series, Tatort. This dark outer skin renders the openentrance areas and two protruding cubes particularly striking.The main entrance is indicated by a mirrored wall positionedat right angles to the entrance. On the rear surface of the mirroris an abstract diagram depicting the company’s internationalsites. From here, the visitor proceeds towards a reception coun-ter constructed from the ‘constructiv pon’ system with a frontsurface of printed glass showing the many design awards givento Burkhardt Leitner products. A six metre wall, constructedfrom the ‘constructiv clic’ system, towers behind the counterand presents the new rotating panel as a decorative wall element.
A cloud of speech bubbles with quotes from friends, colleaguesand partners taken from the recently published book aboutBurkhardt Leitner is suspended above the entrance area. Thequotes can be identified on an adjacent wall diagram by theshape of the respective speech bubble.
The first space within a space opens next to the entrance. It isformed by white gauze with a canvas-like structure stretchedacross innovative clip-in profiles, which completely covers theunderlying ‘constructiv pila petite’ framework. Transparentgauze was deliberately used to illustrate this product innova-tion by rendering the underlying system completely visible.The cube breaks through the exterior wall, overhanging thestand like a glasshouse. The association with a glasshouseis underscored by a tropical forest of plants inside. From theoutside, this profusion of plant life denotes an oasis of calmwithin the bustle of the trade fair. Chairs distributed beneathpalm fronds invite the visitor to take a moment to flick throughthe new publication. Profiles and connectors from the Burk-hardt Leitner systems grow like small shoots from white cubo-id presentation units in the centre of this jungle.
As an homage to the company’s founder, who is celebratingmore than one anniversary this year, a partially glazed towerconstructed from the ‘constructiv pon’ system displays a coll-ection of mementos, including birthday presents that he hasdesigned for his employees over the years.
A second space within a space breaks through the exterior skinand is used to present Ottobox, the mobile space system fromBurkhardt Leitner. It is often employed as a conference spacein open-plan offices, but can also be transformed into a bar orlounge. For this trade fair one of the two side walls was cove-red in dark wood, from which a specially designed shelvingsystem hangs. A white, thick-pile carpet and black anodisedsystem profiles give the space a high class and sophisticatedfeel, showing ways in which Ottobox can be used to create aprestigious impression.
A long counter serves as the communicative heart of the stand.Both the counter and the oversize lighting element suspendedabove are made of fabric stretched over profiles. Illuminatedcompany values flash up behind the dark transparent gauze ofthe ceiling element. The letters appear to float and are illumi-nated from beneath by LEDs. An decorative design is printedon the sides of the counter: a collage of cut-out system profilesfrom Burkhardt Leitner. This theme reappears on the anni-versary column and on the glass wall of the glasshouse.
While Burkhart Leitner continues to make the technical con-struction of its new products as invisible as possible, the trans-parent fabrics of its exhibition stand deliberately make themreappear. The formalistic system architecture meets randomstructures on its exterior skin and the natural exuberance ofthe plant growth, playfully showing different ways of employ-ing the system architecture in everyday settings
