Dr. Oetker Welt

It all began over 100 years ago with a little packet of baking powder called "Backin". Created by chemist Dr. Oetker in Bielefeld, it became a classic brand. The family business has since developed from the baking and custard powder factory into a globally active, diversified corporate group. The historical custard powder factory at the company headquarters have now been redesigned by the architectural design offices of Ackermann & Raff into "Dr. Oetker Welt" – a place that provides a unique experience to the visitor with its museum, exhibitions, lecture kitchens and test kitchens. The designers opened up the U-shaped old building on the sides around the inner courtyard and added a glazed hall. This provides access to all levels and makes the internal procedures transparent.

One ERCO product pervades throughout all four usable levels with their combined floor area of 11,000m2: the Hi-trac track and light structures. The aluminium profile has a rectangular cross section of 36mm x 72mm and can therefore span large distances with just a few suspension points. The underside is finished as standard as a 3-circuit track, the topside as an empty profile or as a luminaire for T-16 fluorescent lamps for indirect lighting – making Hi-trac an extremely flexible tool.

Even the works canteen is now housed in the "custard powder building". Daylight from round skylights combines with the indirect component of the Hi-trac system and the brilliant highlights of the Jilly spotlights for QPAR 30 halogen reflector lamps to provide a pleasant atmosphere. The clear design of the lighting system harmonises excellently with the steal and concrete construction of the historical factory floor.

The exhibition designers from Triad (Berlin) scenically presented the Dr. Oetker products and the story of their origins in the brand world on the ground floor. Here, the visitors walk between over-dimensioned packets and get to learn about the production processes in displays involving all their senses, such as the aroma guessing test. Lightcast downlights and wallwashers provide the lighting on the fixtures and fittings of this themed museum; while in the open spaces, the Hi-trac system again proves its worth as an elegant supporting structure from which the Eclipse spotlights and wallwashers can illuminate the exhibits most effectively.

The historical part of the brand world – the "Treasures from the company archives" – is also nicely designed: vintage cars from the company fleet, machines, product packaging or billboards are all presented against a backdrop of photographic panoramas of historical shop fronts. Jilly floodlights for compact fluorescent lamps are used for illuminating large areas uniformly, whereas Eclipse spotlights for low-voltage halogen lamps provide the highlighting.

The list of rooms also includes high quality conference rooms. The luminous ceiling is a technological treat since it not only features diffuse lighting with dimmable fluorescent luminaires but also has a direct lighting component: Oseris low-voltage spotlights located within the ceiling cavity shine vertically downwards through clear areas in the otherwise mat-finish frosted glass plate. ERCO pictogram luminaires with the safety signs designed by Otl Aicher also constitute an additional elegant detail.

Building owner:
Dr. August Oetker Nahrungsmittel KG
Lutterstr.14
33617 Bielefeld
www.oetker.de

Visits to Dr. Oetker Welt are free of charge following prior registration:
Tel: 0180/3 24 25 26 (0,09 EUR./Min)
Telefax: 0521/155 3471
E-Mail: service@oetker.de
Post: Dr. Oetker Welt, 33547 Bielefeld

Involved parties
Architect: Ackermann & Raff, Tübingen. www.ackermann-raff.de
Exhibition design: Triad, Berlin. www.triad.de
Electrical fitters: Elektro Beckhoff, Verl. www.elektro-beckhoff.de

Data on Dr. Oetker Welt (source: Building owner):

Design phase: 3/2003-11/2004
Construction period: 8/2003-3/2005

Surface areas:
Gross floor area: 11,071 m²
Ground floor exhibition: approx. 1,500 m²
Ground floor glass hall: approx. 350 m²
1^st floor test kitchen/consumer service: approx. 2,000 m²
2^nd floor conference rooms/works canteen: approx. 2,000 m²
3^rd floor exhibition of treasures from the company archives: 320 m²
Cubage / gross volume: 49,219 m³