Office expansion with an open air effect

The client had special requirements for the workplace: as the teams of 6 to 10 people are constantly changing depending on the project and languages spoken, the space needed to be flexible. Following this brief, the architects created a compact, suspended building structure. Parking spaces are located in the lowered ground floor, while the 1300 m² upper floor, which was constructed largely without supports, offers maximum flexibility for organising the workspace by group. Greenery integrated into the interior design concept and ribbon toplights with glare protection increase the quality of the space.

Creating a building which both represented the company and incorporated the local area required a considered approach to the materials and shapes used. The characteristic element of the architecture is the Schüco FWS 50.HI system with narrow profiles, which was used to create the mullion/transom façade and which forms the framework for the light sun shading envelope. While the existing building structure is wrapped in a metallic, flexible façade skin made of stainless steel fabric, the long volume plays with the rhythm created from translucent surfaces and vertical louvre blades. This design trick visually breaks up the otherwise huge and monotonous 70 m long building, while also allowing for interesting façade effects depending on the time of day and year.

Fixed frames covered in FACID M fabric create a contrasting effect to the active louvre blades.  Ranging in width, this structure experiments with both transparency and translucency. The fabric surfaces appear closed by day but lit from within during the early morning and evening as the light from inside shines outwards. The patented clamping system ensures the fabric is stretched across the units without any folds or creases. Reinforcement profiles in the frame also combat lateral forces and protect against deformation.

The architects' conscious decision to combine the textile appearance of the fabric with the ornament-like, perforated louvre blades creates an exciting interplay between materials and views in and out. Depending on the angle of the sun, the time of year and the orientation of the façade, the appearance of the building envelope alternates between open and closed, light and heavy. From some angles a camouflage effect is in play, making the building appear light and suspended, while from other angles it looks grounded and firmly tied to the site – a visual symbol of the connection between the company and its location.