Architectural Model of the Herman Miller Factory by Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners thumbnail 1
Architectural Model of the Herman Miller Factory by Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners thumbnail 2
+5
images
Not on display

Architectural Model of the Herman Miller Factory by Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners

Architectural Model
1976 (original model made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is an architectural model for a factory near Bath (U.K.) designed by Nicholas Grimshaw in partnership with Terry Farrell for Herman Miller, the American manufacturer of office furniture and equipment. The factory was a important landmark in industrial architecture because the concept paid particular attention to providing amenities for employees in addition to taking into account the client's need for flexibility. Its rural setting on the River Avon at Bath was carefully considered when designing a building for this sensitive context.

The structure of the building was based around a simple primary and secondary beam system with columns on a 10x20 metre grid. The height of the edifice enabled it to be used for storing pallets as well as accomodating manufacturing processes. The cladding system was designed so as to be completely demountable, enabling the panels and glazing to be interchanged by unskilled labour to allow the staff to alter the building to suit changing needs.

Many of Herman Miller's products are designed to be ecologically sound, and the design of this building made attempts to reflect this. Energy conservation was a prime consideration throughout Grimshaw's design process and the low wall/floor ratio of 1:30 combined with insulation contributed to the low running costs.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleArchitectural Model of the Herman Miller Factory by Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners
Materials and techniques
Plywood
Brief description
Architectural model of the Herman Miller Factory by Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners
Physical description
This is a large, rectangular, three-dimensional, plastic, paper and plywood architectural model of a factory.
Dimensions
  • Height: 27cm
  • Width: 69cm
  • Length: 131cm
Production typeModel
Credit line
Given by Grimshaw
Summary
This is an architectural model for a factory near Bath (U.K.) designed by Nicholas Grimshaw in partnership with Terry Farrell for Herman Miller, the American manufacturer of office furniture and equipment. The factory was a important landmark in industrial architecture because the concept paid particular attention to providing amenities for employees in addition to taking into account the client's need for flexibility. Its rural setting on the River Avon at Bath was carefully considered when designing a building for this sensitive context.

The structure of the building was based around a simple primary and secondary beam system with columns on a 10x20 metre grid. The height of the edifice enabled it to be used for storing pallets as well as accomodating manufacturing processes. The cladding system was designed so as to be completely demountable, enabling the panels and glazing to be interchanged by unskilled labour to allow the staff to alter the building to suit changing needs.

Many of Herman Miller's products are designed to be ecologically sound, and the design of this building made attempts to reflect this. Energy conservation was a prime consideration throughout Grimshaw's design process and the low wall/floor ratio of 1:30 combined with insulation contributed to the low running costs.
Collection
Accession number
E.3162-2004

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 21, 2007
Record URL
Download as: JSON