25. Mar 2020

Metal mesh: Golden ceiling design for IHK München

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) for Munich and Upper Bavaria is the largest IHK in the country with around 390,000 member companies. Within the scope of an extensive renovation of the historic headquarters, m2plan. architects selected golden panels made of metal fabric from GKD – Gebr. Kufferath AG for the ceiling design of the large trading hall.

The headquarters in the center of Munich, built in 1901, consists of two listed building complexes. The buildings, which are connected by a glass-roofed courtyard, are subject to strict regulations for the protection of historic monuments. Additional restrictions are in place due to the building’s location on an archaeological monument – former ramparts of the city of Munich. Despite the different building styles, the two buildings form a visual whole. For the careful renovation of the façades facing onto the street and into the courtyard, all elements, materials, and colors were selected in coordination with the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and the Munich Lower Authority for the Protection of Historic Monuments. The architects underscored the desired high-quality appearance with a carefully weighed balance of old and new: Modern offices, conference rooms, and meeting areas contrast with the historic walls. In the large trading hall of the headquarters, golden panels of fabric made of Licorne-24a aluminum mesh, which have been suspended vertically from the ceiling, draw the gaze of the beholder. Sixty-two fabric panels in ten different sizes – 700 to 1,600 millimeters wide and 1,000 to 2,300 millimeters long – transform the ceiling into a sculpture. Targeted lighting from spotlights mounted on the ceiling accentuates the three-dimensional effect of the shimmering spiral mesh. Daylight lends the installation further impact as it illuminates the room from large, semicircular windows, placing the warm golden tone in contrast to the cool interior of the hall. The fabric panels were mounted by means of slide-in flats with boreholes which were attached to ceiling-mounted fasteners.