An industrial hall circulates

Fritz Hansen is located in Allerød, Denmark, surrounded by woods. This is precisely why the company moved to this region over 100 years ago: access to raw materials close to the workshop. The showroom is now close to the forest.

The furniture company has a long industrial history, most of which has taken place at the address in Allerød. In the 1950s, halls with a series of classic saw-tooth roofs were built for the various processes required for furniture production. Work has gradually moved away from Allerød and the large halls have found new functions.

There was a desire to have a showroom connected with the rest of the company’s functions that was also a way of telling the Fritz Hansen story. The saw-tooth roofs section off the large columned space, so the exhibition currently has three themes. Fritz Hansen is known for producing Arne Jacobsen and Poul Kjærholm classics, but the range is much broader in both designers and products.

Considered use of materials

Converting the halls into showrooms naturally required the replacement of some surfaces and installations. It was carried out with the greatest possible simplicity and integrity towards the original industrial approach.

The original Troldtekt building panels lay between the concrete rafters in the ceiling, and the panels have been preserved and used as a base for a new and more effective acoustic panel – again, this is Troldtekt. Fritz Hansen chose Troldtekt based on FUTURECEM, which is the panel with the lowest climate impact. As clay replaces part of the cement, the panel appears warmer in colour and has a natural colour shading. As the hall and ceiling are not completely regular, it was decided to cut the panels to length rather than cutting most of the panels to size, thus avoiding waste. 

Fritz Hansen is concerned about the climate impact of production and is working to recirculate a number of furniture pieces through their ReNew system.