The structural framework of the new five-storey building, the initiation of which took place back in September of 2012, now has a completed basement level and base plate, and the Dresden-based contractor handling the project, Wolff & Müller, has begun erecting the first walls for the entrance area on the ground level. This is the area in which Wilhelm Schmid and Walter Lange set the cornerstone in a ceremony on September 3. The artifacts in the time capsule include a newspaper, the current A. Lange & Söhne catalogue, the latest edition of the company’s in-house newsletter, and a deed with details about the construction project.
“In view of the continuous growth of the past years, our current buildings have reached their limits in terms of space,” Schmid explained during the cornerstone-laying ceremony. “The extension was an essential step in order to improve processes that had become more and more convoluted due to the distribution of manufacturing activities across several buildings, and is a much-needed response to the positive trend in business.”
According to Lange, the new two-wing building is being built with “ergonomically optimized working conditions, streamlined processes, and a balanced ecological footprint” in mind. It has a floor space of roughly 5,400 square meters for parts production, manual engraving, and watchmaking workshops. A sky-bridge over Altenberger Strasse will connect the extension with the Lange II production building. Climate control measures include a walkable double-skin façade. The extension reflects the regional architectural style and is designed to blend seamlessly with the existing buildings. Lange has striven to make the new facility carbon-neutral, with its use of geothermal energy and green electricity for the operation of the heat pump. Work on the interior of the building will begin after completion of the structural framework this coming winter; the extension is expected to be complete by spring of 2015.
