Allmann’sche Pharmacy
The Allmann’sche Pharmacy is located in a neoclassical townhouse on the market square in Biberach an der Riß. Rather than a traditional pharmacy interior, visitors encounter a contemporary space characterised by clear lines, bold colours and a surprising sense of generosity.
Günter Allmann was a young pharmacist when he took over his father’s business in 2004. He had known the pharmacy since childhood, spent free periods there while at school and later worked in its production laboratory during his studies. For him, the pharmacy had never been merely a business, but a familiar place in which to live and work.
It became clear during the first conversations that he was not interested in modernisation for its own sake. He did not want a design based on current trends, nor a pharmacy that merely looked different from others. He wanted to create a place that reflected his own understanding of the pharmacist’s profession.
“I wanted to create a working atmosphere in which my employees and I would feel completely at ease. When a team enjoys working in a pharmacy, that feeling is also conveyed to the customers.”
Many of the design decisions therefore arose not from purely aesthetic considerations, but from the aim of creating a workplace in which function, atmosphere and everyday processes come together naturally.
The shop windows were deliberately kept unobstructed. Instead of product displays or decorations, they provide an unrestricted view into the dispensary. The pharmacy itself becomes the shop window. Anyone looking in from outside can immediately see the space and the people within it.
Inside, the design develops from a small number of consistently applied motifs. The dark granite floor forms the robust foundation of the interior. The orange medicine display wall extends along the entire length of the pharmacy and incorporates the drawer columns into its geometry towards the rear. Its surface was created using a distinctive trowelled technique, giving the wall a warm and lively presence. Cool turquoise-blue lacquered glass surfaces form a deliberate contrast and lend clear depth to the recessed niches of the display.
The self-service and medicine display walls incline almost imperceptibly towards the top. This perspective-based device opens the room towards the ceiling and makes it appear more spacious. The effect is generally perceived only subconsciously: the room feels larger than it actually is.
Aluminium characterises the fronts of the drawer columns, the fast-moving product drawers and the prescription counter, providing a precise technical accent. A substantial strip of wenge wood on the customer side of the counter softens this functional character and introduces warmth and natural materiality at the point of communication. The matt beige self-service display was also finished using a distinctive trowelled technique. It remains deliberately restrained and does not compete with the expressive medicine display wall, merely repeating its aluminium and turquoise-blue elements.
The working processes were developed with the same care as the interior design. Functionality and aesthetics were not intended to contradict one another, but to reinforce each other. Even the drawers were tailored in detail to the everyday requirements of the dispensary.
“Bürger creates sensational work. Pharmacy fit-out companies may appear less expensive at first glance, but as an architect, Bürger puts the individual trades out to tender. I am therefore firmly convinced that it was ultimately no more expensive for me. And the result is magnificent.” (“I am exactly where I wanted to be”)
Further information
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Project details
- Project: Allmann’sche Pharmacy
- Client: Mr Günter Allmann
- Address: Marktplatz 41, 88400 Biberach an der Riß, Germany
The most rewarding projects do not arise from a desire to be different. They arise from the courage to follow one’s own convictions. Should you wish to take this path with us, we would be delighted to meet you for a personal conversation.
Phone: 02151 736005
Email: k.buerger@k-buerger.de