Leverkusen, Germany
The building is incorporated into the landscape of the Karl Duisberg Park on a site adjacent to the current Bayer headquarters building, the Bayer Hotel, and staff restaurant. The main approach is from the Kaiser Wilhelm Allee to the north, along which the existing context buildings are organized. The five-story building is comprised of three main components: the Entrance Pavilion, the Board of Management Building, and the Corporate Divisions Building. All are connected by an “interior street” and atrium which serve as the circulation spine.
The Entrance Pavilion is a truncated ellipsoid enclosing a cylindrical internal space, which, through a configuration of white opaque external skin panels, glazed and opaque surfaces, and through a relationship to the cooling water surface of a reflecting pool, will create a pleasant transition zone – a kind of garden pavilion but also a shelter from the bustle and noise of Kaiser Wilhelm Allee during peak hours of the day. It is intended to serve not only as the entrance to the new headquarters but also as a gateway to the park. Through an angled, five-story-high wall one enters a lobby with a security desk which controls access to the Board of Management reception to the west and to the “interior street” which leads south to the Corporate Divisions tract.
