A striking new office building has emerged at Stadtkrone Ost in Dortmund, its distinctive 3D façade commanding attention from every vantage point. The six-storey "adesso campus 3" stands out on the skyline and remains visible from considerable distances. The façade's defining feature—staggered aluminium composite scales that shift progressively with each floor—creates a dynamic visual rhythm. The scales run in a single direction, carefully oriented to capture shifting shadows and depth effects throughout the day. This interplay of light and shadow animates the 100-metre-long, 34-metre-wide, and 22-metre-high mass, making it feel both more dynamic and lighter than its actual proportions. Gold-toned vertical window divisions punctuate the composition with striking visual counterpoint.

The entire façade was meticulously designed using 3D CAD modeling, enabling the planning team to identify and resolve intricate details before construction began. Given the façade's complexity, Kemper, Steiner & Partner Architects in Bochum created a full-scale mock-up of the façade sections at the factory prior to construction. This approach allowed the team to address additional technical challenges and optimize both CNC panel production and on-site installation. The entrance features a recessed mullion-and-transom façade spanning four storeys—a striking design that frames captivating views of the foyer and gallery corridors while allowing reciprocal sightlines from within.

The building's distinctive comb structure opens toward the south, creating two inner courtyards that offer a striking counterpoint to the façade's architectural language. When viewed from above, the interior courtyard—which also serves as a passage connecting the building wings—resembles a carefully framed composition, with landscaped areas and pathways arranged as geometric forms. Built atop a basement car park spanning approximately 5,000 m² and accommodating 150 underground and 60 above-ground parking spaces, the structure comprises 11,300 m² of net usable area with flexible, adaptable workspace configurations. Developed and executed by Freundlieb, the project's interior design was crafted by raumkontor in Düsseldorf, reflecting and complementing the building's architectural vocabulary.

www.kemper-steiner-partner.de
www.freundlieb.de

Photography:
Hans-Jürgen Landes
www.landesfoto.de
raumkontor Interior Design
www.raumkontor.com
Marcus Schwier
www.marcusschwier.net

(Published in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 03|24)