The four-part building ensemble occupies a prominent corner location at Huyssenallee and Baedekerstraße, south of Essen's main train station. Surrounded by major corporations, the Aalto Theater across the street serves as a defining urban anchor point. By strategically reducing the corner building's footprint, a compelling dual plaza was created, establishing an inviting campus atmosphere. This corner opening gave rise to a transparent, accessible architecture that clearly communicates the founding principles of its tenant, the Mercator Foundation.

The building heights and volumes of the office structure respond to the surrounding urban fabric. Similarly, the surfaces of the new curtain wall elements engage with the adjacent architecture: the light natural stone facade reflects the Philharmonie across the street and the Gerling building to the left. The five-story front structure along Huyssenallee houses office spaces in its upper levels, while the ground floor accommodates the main entrance and a dining area. The interior three-story building corner concludes at ground level with a generous event hall adjoining the reception area. The event hall and casino open toward the campus, creating a communicative link between both zones. This corner structure is distinguished by its transparent glass architecture, offering visual connections through all sections of the complex. The building complex on Baedekerstraße is accessed via the campus. This increased foot traffic generates an urban vitality while shortening paths to the central plaza. The entire architectural concept is oriented toward communication and transparency. During the design of the office levels, in collaboration with interior architect Birgit Zittrich, the needs of employees were mapped against the requirements of their work environments. The result: open-plan offices with non-territorial use, expansive communication zones and open meeting areas, plus spaces that offer privacy and retreat options. Team areas were arranged around a central kitchen unit, and each entry point features green, refreshing zones in the form of living plant walls that further structure the work levels. Floor inlays mark functional areas while boldly playing with colors and materiality. To achieve optimal workplace acoustics, specialist engineers incorporated display walls, furniture surfaces with acoustic materials, sound-dampening room dividers, and sound-absorbing surfaces that meet all requirements. Lighting is energy-efficiently controlled via bus systems with motion sensors and daylight harvesting. The resource-conscious design extends to manually operated shading systems integrated between the panes of the composite windows, as well as weather-controlled exterior blinds in the corner building.

www.madako.de

Photography Credits:

Friedhelm Krischer
www.krischerfotografie.de

(Published in CUBE Ruhrgebiet 03|20)