The NAU Administrative Building is located on the grounds of the Lucius D. Clay Kaserne in the surroundings of Wiesbaden, the capital of the German state of Hesse. The design by grabowski.spork architektur was selected as part of an expert evaluation process by the Federal Republic of Germany. The three-storey building is made up of two offset volumes of the same size. The offset structures the building mass and creates a forecourt situation towards the street with a clear address.
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NAU Administrative Building
Office Building (Built)
Firm
grabowski.spork architektur
Architect/Designer
Christoph Grabowski & Jan Spork
Design Team
Moritz Kleisinger (PL), Johannes Busch (Design), Alena Flörchinger, Sandra Hübner, Ann-Kathrin Kordick, Matteo Lauriola, Wilma Leppelt, Zafer Mai, Markus Ott, David Sainz, Gregor Söngen, Christin Weiling
Project Location
Wiesbaden, Germany
Country
Germany
Photographer/Copyright
©Thomas Ott
Social Media Handles
Facebook: N/A
YouTube: N/A
Instagram: N/A
Twitter: N/A
Website URL
www.gs-architektur.de
A prefabricated concrete façade gives the building a massive and solid expression as well as its unmistakable shape. The sculpturally shaped façade elements are made of white cement and the surfaces are then sandblasted and hydrophobised in the factory. With their rectangular and sloping window reveals, they create a rhythmic and animated façade appearance despite the serial arrangement, which sets the scene for the window openings. In the sun the façade structure creates an interesting interplay of light and shadow. The sun protection is structurally integrated.
Patio courtyards are cut into both volumes, structuring the building and creating an introverted and landscaped outdoor area for the employees. In contrast to the solid outer skin of prefabricated concrete elements, the façades of the patio courtyards are designed as smooth, calm aluminium element façades that direct the focus to the greened outdoor areas. The central forecourt leads into a central foyer with direct outdoor access to the adjacent inner patio courtyard. The interiors and fixtures follow the consistent colour concept in light, monochrome tones. A large break room and flexibly divisible multi-purpose rooms for events, meetings and conferences are connected to the rear of the foyer via a corridor. An open, single-flight staircase leads to the upper floors in front of a massive lift core in exposed concrete. As a connecting element, the core is designed in the same style as the façade. However, the surface was not sandblasted but finely bush-hammered so that the aggregates are clearly visible. At the same time, the exposed concrete core forms the centre of the building as a central object in the three-storey staircase. It accompanies the central main circulation and serves as an easy orientation.
The office areas are organised in the same way on all upper floors. Four open-plan office areas are accessed via the central circulation core, each of which is connected to a common emergency staircase with WC and kitchenette area at the ends of the building. The office spaces are oriented towards the outdoor areas and the patio courtyards, which allows for essentially natural lighting of the office spaces. Within the open-plan office areas, various forms of use can be realised (cubicle and group office).
Data
Client Federal Republic of Germany
Completion 2023
Gross floor space 9.000 m2