The Black
Panther

To stage a company means, above all, to translate a philosophy into architecture. The “Black Panther” does more than tell the story of a company — it evokes emotion, embodies a vision, and renders it tangible and sculptural. Where design and form emerge, the idea is born and takes on mass. Elegant and sleek, the “Black Panther” weaves tension and speed into an expression of urban architecture. Its watchful eye follows the street — movement and silhouette merge in a nocturnal dance of forces.

In 2006, the project prevailed in a two-stage competition among nine architecture firms, winning with a unanimous jury decision. The client’s ambition — to position his company as powerful, dynamic, elegant, and international — inspired us to choose the black panther as the guiding motif of our design concept. The building, with its black glass façade, rests on a base landscape of exposed concrete and greenery that balances the terrain. Externally closed and robust, the interior of the Black Panther reveals a spacious, airy, and urban spatial composition.

The structure is organized into two parts: the four-story street-facing section houses the client’s headquarters, while the five-story southern section contains office spaces for external tenants. Their shared ground-floor interface accommodates the main entrances — where the building opens into a generous foyer. The atrium, spanned by a glass roof, creates visual connections and orientation across all levels. Beneath the building’s dramatic cantilever are a restaurant and, in the “Eye of the Panther” — a distinctive façade opening toward the street — the client’s flagship store.

The light-flooded interior is defined by a restrained color palette and a refined interplay of materials. Except for a few serially produced chairs and tables, all furnishings were custom-designed by the architects.

Client: Dr. Michael Pachleitner Private Foundation, Graz
Project: MP09 – Headquarters of Uniopt Pachleitner Group, Graz

Competition Jury (Stage 1): June 2006
Competition Jury (Stage 2): September 2006
Design Start: October 2006
Construction Start: April 2008
Completion: May 2010

Site Area: 10,940 m²
Gross Floor Area: 17,054 m²
Net Usable Area: 14,438 m²
Seminar Room Capacity: 200 persons
Workplaces: 350–400 persons
Restaurant Capacity: 140 persons

Climate Control: Chilled ceiling system
Main Materials: Glass, exposed concrete, leather, Corian, carpet
Photographer: Gerald Liebminger