High-quality partitioning system instead of plasterboard:

Approximately 35,000 square meters of raw Oak Rift veneer was required to execute the interior finish plans by the wma wöhr mieslinger architectural firm in Stuttgart for the new R+V building. The partitioning system for the offices made by feco Innenausbausysteme GmbH called for a great deal of glass and 17,800 square meters of finished veneer surface of oak. Schorn & Groh GmbH of Karlsruhe supplied the veneer.

The architects had originally envisioned dividing walls of plasterboard with acoustic facing panels and hallway floors with glazing and silicon grouting and door leaves with wooden frames. Thanks to the sophisticated partitioning technology from feco, the Stuttgart architects could simply and economically implement their plans for a spacious building with plenty of light and glass.

Altogether 16,500 square meters of partitioning system with 700 doors were installed. Nearly half was for office walls with oak veneer on both sides in a grid of three elements, each measuring 1.10 meters wide and 3.10 meters high. Two of three wall elements have double-sided acoustically effective surfaces. The hallway walls are made only of glass and the office doors are veneered with oak.

One challenge was in obtaining the right veneer in the desired quantity, color and texture.  
Veneer supplier Schorn & Groh, with headquarters and warehouse in Karlsruhe, has been a world leader in the industry for decades. It was no trouble at all for Schorn & Groh to provide the raw veneer of uniform quality. Then the veneer was matched in the company's Eschelbronn factory. The partitioning system was manufactured by feco in Karlsruhe.  

Plans were made for a room-by-room execution. The veneer was prepared as spliced veneers and then processed. Two CNC-steered processing centers produced up to 600 square meters of acoustic elements per week. Some 7,800 m² of veneer surfaces were prepared with 14/2 grooves in a 16-mm grid.
 
The walls of glass and oak veneer make an impressive combination. The high proportion of glass in the partitions encourages communication in the transparent working environment while the natural oak veneer lends warmth and comfort to the offices and creates a pleasant atmosphere. Despite the sound-reflecting concrete ceilings, the offices have good acoustics, thanks to the many sound-absorbing acoustic elements in the walls.

The new administration building for R+V Lebensversicherung AG is located in Wiesbaden. The 24,000 square meters of office space accommodates 1300 employees on six floors.