Spiral staircase for Blickle

The family-owned company Blickle was founded in 1953 and is among the world’s leading manufacturers of wheels and castors today. As part of its long-term expansion strategy, both the production and the administration facilities at the company’s headquarters in Rosenfeld are being extended. In March 2020, Blickle started with the construction for the new plant of its polyurethane production, which will be enlarged by 24,000 square metres. The groundbreaking ceremony for the extension of the administration building followed on 29 September 2020. It will be a seven-storey enlargement for up to 200 new office workplaces and a total floor space of approx. 12,500 square metres. In addition, the circular building houses a customer centre, the canteen and, on a total of more than 800 square metres, a high-tech test laboratory as well as a track for driving tests.

Sustainability is of great importance to Blickle. For example, the seven-storey administration building is equipped with an intelligent building envelope keeping heating and cooling requirements low. The photovoltaic system on the roof also ensures sustainable energy production.

It is without doubt the self-supporting spiral staircase by MetallArt that is the eye-catcher of the new customer centre. Constructed as a three-flight, evenly rounded steel stringer staircase, it connects four levels of the new building. The inner parapet-high box-type stringers and, in contrast, the all-glass balustrade in white glass provide the stair sculpture with an elegant design. A round tubular steel handrail is fitted to a recess in the inner stringer by the MetallArt team and preparations are made for LED lighting to be provided by the client. The all-glass staircase balustrade continues in harmonious lines at the bridge and at the edges of the ceiling. Since the bridge runs across an earthquake joint in the building, the bridge and stairs must be separated with an expansion joint.