Offices

Little things make all the difference: Semperlux and Vossloh-Schwabe illuminate the new PUMA headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany

It may be a well-kept secret, but the little German town of Herzogenaurach is actually the world's capital of sport! And this is no idle claim to fame, since the town is home to the new headquarters of PUMA, the German sport lifestyle company.

Covering a total area of 50,000 sqm, the new premises are made up of three buildings: one for admin, one housing the Brand Center and one for the PUMA factory outlet store. As a result of clever office design featuring ceiling-height glazing, the 107 individual and open-plan offices found in the admin building provide PUMA's admin staff with generously dimensioned office space that is bathed in natural light. Commanding an area of 10,000 sqm, the Brand Center is mainly used to exhibit PUMA's innovative sport lifestyle collections, but also includes a multimedia auditorium that is large enough for 1,500 people. Finally, the PUMA factory outlet store covers another 3,000 sqm of sales area, spread over three levels. The three buildings are positioned in such a way as to create a large central square, the PUMA Plaza.

Inspired by a shoe box

The architect who designed the buildings, Klaus Krex of da capo al fine architects in Nuremberg, drew his inspiration for the PUMA store directly from the PUMA brand – namely, from the world-famous red shoe box. When it came to the projecting platform of the multi-media auditorium, on the other hand, he took up the idea of the well-known PUMA stripe.

And even with regard to the most important marketing tool in the world of architecture – that of lighting – Krex remained consistently true to PUMA's brand image.

The red shoe box also provided Krex with a bright idea for designing the lighting of the outdoor area, thanks to which the illuminated façade of PUMA's new corporate headquarters already draws attention from a distance as an inviting beacon for visiting guests.

Fitted with energy-saving lighting technology, the "light in the shoe box" both makes an elegant brand-affirming statement and acts as a welcoming business card that is visible from afar.

The outdoor luminaires designed by SELUX are a perfect match for the red-themed PUMA factory outlet store with the driveway and the parking spaces adjacent to the building illuminated with single and double luminaires. The wholly unique design of the iconic PUMA lamppost, the luminaire head of which is loosely representative of the sleek brand PUMA lithely leaping out of a half-open PUMA shoe box, is another real eye-catcher. In addition, light columns and LED markings on the ground create a fitting and memorable lighting atmosphere.