Warehouse Ricola Europe SA

In 1992, Ricola began to expand its European commercial and manufacturing activities in connection with Switzerland's entry into the EEA. In relation to these events, the construction of a manufacturing and storage facility in Mulhouse, France, was initiated. Ricola engaged the renowned Basel duo Herzog and de Meuron.
The assignment was very similar to the warehouse at the Swiss headquarters of Ricola in Laufen. The difference lay primarily in the context and the architects' six years deepened thinking. While in Laufen we witnessed the development of local tradition and reflection on traditions, in Mulhouse we are presented with a more layered and richer architectural work.
The building is located in the southern industrial part of Mulhouse. Nearby is the Rhine-Rhône water canal. The existing mature greenery was respected by the architects; however, its preservation was not the main element of the concept. The building has the impression of a giant menthol candy nestled in a park. The front walls of the warehouse are made of monolithic concrete. They delineate and complete the rhythm of the polycarbonate façade on the longitudinal sides of the building. The architects allow rainwater to flow down the concrete walls, creating a distinct graphical motif on their surface. We can encounter similar rain maps at the nearby studio of Rémy Zaugg. The polycarbonate panels are covered with a photographic image of the medicinal herb Umbel Achillea (the photograph is by Karl Blossfeldt). A similar element can also be found in the façades of the university library in Eberswalde, Germany.
With the design of the warehouse in Mulhouse, Herzog and de Meuron infuse the theme of ornament with new content. Ornament is understood here as an artistic factor that influences both the exterior and interior spatial effects. The façade plays a primary role in Herzog and de Meuron's works of that time. Established layout and typological norms essentially relegated the architect's work to the building's envelope. In the case of the warehouse in Mulhouse, the production, packing, and storage technologies were precisely assigned. Unlike the warehouse in Laufen, Mulhouse tells more about its content - the façade acts as a demonstration of the building's purpose.
The penetration of light into the interior in Mulhouse can be likened to the impression from sacred buildings. The relatively uninteresting function of a warehouse has been elevated by the architects to a space that is almost mystical. The changing position of the sun in the sky transforms the external and, above all, internal effects of the building.
Among a series of similar buildings by the Swiss studio, the Ricola warehouse in Mulhouse holds a prominent position, as evidenced by the megaphotograph of the glowing nighttime warehouse on the wall of the living room in Pierre de Meuron's own house in Basel-Riehen.