Munich, Germany
Built as the first stage of a Master Plan for the full expansion of an existing industrial headquarters dating from the 1960’s, this seven-story office complex and research facility replaced a number of older buildings that no longer met the requirements of the company.
The Master Plan for the ultimate development of the site is based on two orthogonal grids superimposed and then “cranked” to align with existing site conditions. These grids, derived from the dimensions, setting and structural bays of the buildings on the site, have been used to determine the modular order and alignment of the new buildings. The standard office module is a slender, rectilinear volume based on a 7.20 x 7.20 support grid. Clad throughout with white aluminum panels, the overall envelope is given tactile depth by granite facing on both sides of the east-west axis.
Aerial bridges, extruded columns and careful detailing counteract the typical experience of industrial architecture, with its tendency towards frontal, clinically efficient surfaces. Planted courtyards and trees enliven the already active grid of white metal panels with color. Walkways and lawns elide into one another in a lattice of paving stones, with grass visible through the interstices. The overall impression created is of an imposed order, bright and new, that seems to have always been there.
该项目是为了取代不符合公司要求的老旧建筑而建造的。设计师基于已有建筑的结构模数和布局，采用两个直角网格叠加的方式来确定新建筑的模块化顺序和对齐方式。标准的办公模块是一个细长的、长方形的体量，基于7.20 x 7.20的支撑网格。整个建筑采用了白色的铝板作为外墙材料，并在东西轴线的两侧采用了花岗岩来增加质感。设计师通过悬挂桥、突出的柱子和精细的细节处理，打破了工业建筑常见的单调表面，为建筑增添了活力。种植的庭院和树木为白色金属板的网格增添了色彩。整体印象是一种强制性的秩序感，明亮而新鲜，好像一直在那里一样。