FACTORY AS ARCHITECTURAL PEARL

PLASTIC COMPOSITES: Fiberline’s plastic composite material has been called the building material of the future. The company’s new factory has itself been futuristically designed – in an architecture which has been nominated for the world’s most distinguished architectural award – Mies van der Rohe 2007

Fiberline Composites A/S produces a unique building material, and plans to expand its production fivefold. So what could be more natural than to use its own materials for building the company’s new factory? Fiberline’s new headquarters in Middelfart, Denmark, is a factory which in addition to creating the framework for a state-of-the-art production of plastic composite materials, is itself an outstanding building, nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award 2007. It is one of the very rare occasions where an industrial building is a contender for what is dubbed ’The Architectural Oscar’.

Henrik Thorning in front of Fiberline Composites’ new factory in Middelfart. The factory was designed by Jan Søndergaard at KHR Arkitekter A/S, and is nominated for the Mies van der Rohe award 2007. “The design of the factory was inspired by the old Danish Viking fortresses which blend into the landscape. It gives the effect of constant movement – and thus also symbolises a company in motion,” says Henrik Thorning.

Potential

Over 27 years, Fiberline has become one of the world’s five largest manufacturers of plastic composite profiles, which combine high strength and corrosion resistance with low weight and simple machining.

Fiberline’s construction profiles are for example used for bridges, cooling towers and in concrete reinforcement as a replacement for steel. The profiles are also thermally and electrically insulating and suitable for preventing thermal bridges in wall facades and windows, at the same time as gaining ground in many places with requirements for electrical insulation.

The Spanish architects José Selgas and Lucia Cano have used Fiberline’s facade system for the construction of the congress hall and concert hall in Badajoz in Spain. The system creates a poetically braided sun screening which emits a soft light in the evening when the centre is lit from within.

 “But in reality we are only seeing the beginning of a trend which will bring plastic composite materials into a lot more areas,” says director Henrik Thorning, owner of Fiberline Composites A/S. “There is amazing potential in these materials which have such superior properties. Not just for replacement of steel and concrete, but everywhere where there are special requirements for design, strength and lightness.”

Development oriented

Henrik Thorning is a fiery soul who combines technical knowledge with perseverance and the will to create more than just profiles – regardless of how good and strong they are. When he and his wife Dorthe established the company 27 years ago, it was based on his development of a pultrusion technology which enabled him to produce plastic composite profiles in much larger dimensions than had up to then been possible. It opened up almost limitless opportunities.

“We are not the largest when it comes to volume production, but we are by far the most development oriented in the industry,” says Thorning.

“Our technology makes us highly flexible and so able to produce unique products in relatively small batches. It has resulted in us gaining contact with designers and architects who have seen opportunities in our products. Our technology has made it possible to create things which previously were impossible.”

Cultural canon

When Denmark a few years ago decided to create a cultural canon – a list of cultural works which represent Danish cultural heritage – Fiberline’s facade system was selected to represent the most outstanding example of design driven innovation. The facade system is a translucent constructive system. It can carry a glass facade which enables light to pass through. It has realised many architects’ dreams of creating a facade that is bright and light and virtually removes the difference between the outdoor and indoor environment.

“As always when something new is introduced, the first years were hard uphill work,” says Henrik Thorning. “But we believed in our ideas and we learned a lot the hard way. That benefits us today. We are very development intensive which also has the effect that we are best when the tasks are highly complex.”

http://www.fiberline.com

Fiberline stepped into the limelight when the company built a bridge over the railway line in Kolding. The bridge was constructed during just three nights, and so the work caused only a minimum of disturbance to train services. It has served as a model for a number of other bridges in e.g. Spain and Great Britain.