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Think tank.
Top Office Design
Cupboard system. Partitioning system.
Innovative design and functionality combined for space-saving office solutions Goldbach Kirchner room concepts is not only specialised in series production of interiors like offices and student accommodations, but more so in developing, building and installing glass doors and partitioning systems. Based in the RhineMain area, only six kilometres away from the EU’s geographical centre, Goldbach Kirchner’s products are all made in Germany. TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN I PHOTOS: GOLDBACH KIRCHNER
German craftsmanship and innovative potential are two of the company’s main characteristics. Since the beginning in 1922, the still owner-led company has always put great emphasis on new, clever room solutions. Today, as a specialist for glass partitioning systems, Goldbach Kirchner invests in innovations addressing the shortcomings of conventional systems. Many customers prefer glass sliding doors, especially in small spaces, because they use the room most effectively while letting more light in than regular doors. Here, the biggest shortcoming until recently has been the acoustic insulation. Often enough, people even say that sliding doors and acoustic 16 | Issue 40 | July 2016
insulation exclude each other, because so far sliding doors could not be equipped with the appropriate door seal. This has changed with a clever solution Goldbach Kirchner has developed: a sliding door that closes over a magnetic mechanism and so gains an insulation of 37 decibels when closed – the ten or 12-millimetre-thick laminated safety glass door works mechanically and does not need electricity or an additional locking mechanism. Another problem that often exists in office spaces, explicitly with room-in-room solutions, is the lack of sockets. When sitting in a meeting that might last for hours, people will want to charge their mobile
phones or plug in their laptops and tablets. So what is needed is a socket that is not visible when unused, but easily accessible. Goldbach Kirchner has hidden these in the base of glass walls. They can be accessed by simply opening a hatch. Electrifying the floor areas – where often cable funnels have to be drilled – becomes obsolete, which is ideal when an office is situated in a historic building with building restrictions. Next to normal plugs, USB chargers or telephone sockets can be installed. This is not the only innovation when it comes to making the charging of electric devices easier: Goldbach Kirchner also designs and fabricates office furniture and interior designs. The company has recently integrated Qi-Pads into desks, which allows wireless charging of mobile phones. This has earned Goldbach Kirchner a nomination for the German Design Award 2017. www.goldbachkirchner.de