Budapest, January 7 - Construction began on the new Puma Group HQ in Herzogenaurach, Germany in November 2007. Known as the Puma Plaza, the complex is being developed in an area of approximately 50,000 square meters and will house 700 employees. The design was created by Klaus Krex of da capo al fine architects, based in Nuremberg.

The plaza of three buildings includes an administrative building, a brand centre to be used for employee development and training, and a retail store. In his design, Krex drew inspiration from the Puma brand and its logo. The retail building resembles the world-famous red shoe box.

Environmental considerations played a significant role in the design concept. All three buildings have modern concrete-core conditioning for eco-friendly heating and cooling. The building’s energy requirements are met by a 1,000 square-meter solar energy system on the roof of the retail building and along the façade.

Remarkably, the overall design was created by Klaus Krex alone, who accomplished this by using ArchiCAD and its ability to help visualize his creation in 3D from the outset. Later, a team from the firm realized the entire project with ArchiCAD.

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1 Alan Kay. Inventor of Smalltalk - the inspiration behind windowing-based computer systems.