Herkules Machine Factory, Pittsburgh, USA

 

 

Articulated as a well-engineered glass box, the building houses the US administrative headquarters of the Herkules Group, a world leader in the manufacture of roll machining equipment. Offices and meeting rooms are organised in a U-shape configuration around the central service spine, with scenic views of the neighbouring woodland area on its west facing side. Sun glare is subtly managed by semi transparent screens.

The reception area, double height lobby and stairwell organise the building's south facing composition, completed externally with a striking roof sign in perforated mesh. This announces and locates the development in its surroundings while simultaneouly softening the visual impact of the mechanical plant equipment sited on the roof.

The sculptural configuration of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems - all of which are powered by a subterranean geothermal heat-well adjacent to the building - reflects the project's industrial aesthetic. This can also be seen in the elegant folded steel plate staircase at the front of the building, which was fabricated by the client; and in the use of translucent glass bricks, which illuminate the central service spine housing the technical infrastructure and kitchen.

Mixed-use Complex, Obernburg

The development responds sensitively yet assuredly to its surroundings, as can be seen in how the entrance block massing complements that of the nearby clock tower situated within the old city wall. Moreover, the building's carefully scaled fenestration echoes that of the neighbouring properties, while its ground floor colonnade animates the development at street level.

Internally, three over-sized concrete column blocks disseminate the building's heft, while also functioning as conduits for the various technical services, all of which are easily accessible. Taken as a whole, this structural arrangement delivers a series of uninterrupted floor plans, so offering end-users a high degree of flexibility in the internal arrangement of the spaces.

The development's clarity of layout is equally on show in how the main circulation area, located within the atrium, serves as both a reception hall for the offices on the first floor and a lobby area for the apartments on the upper level. Within this central volume, the steel mesh balustrading complements the exacting aesthetic of the untreated cast in-situ concrete. In addition, lacquered plaster is used where tactile contact comes into play, as with the monolithic looking bridge above the entranceway, which connects the office floor areas located across the building's two main blocks. This link functions as a 'visual pin', its form and solidity adding depth and drama to the atrium design. 

Country Hotel, Pittsburgh (USA)

 

The scheme takes full advantage of its scenic location, some 80 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, USA, delivering panoramic views of the Pennsylvanian countryside. 

 

The building comprises a series of block elements and floor slabs - the former housing the services and utilities, the latter the hotel’s range of bedrooms and suites, as well as its recreation and relaxation facilities. 

 

The building’s pronounced planar design defines its mood, its presence in the landscape. Two monolithic slabs ground the hotel in its surroundings. These articulate a comprehensive podium on which three slender floor plates are stacked and setback. This configuration delivers a generous deck space to the hotel’s ground floor high-end bar and restaurant. The lighter floor plates above house the bedrooms and suites. 

 

Doctor´s Practice, Frankfurt am Main

A minimal palette of floating white planes and indirect lighting generates a calm, orderly ambience within this Frankfurt medical practice. 

 

The planar composition is considered and measured, with floating ceilings defining the central corridor, entranceway and reception area - and in so doing disseminating an elongated cross, a subtle reference to the medical profession.

 

 

Throughout the scheme the installation delivers a mild compression of space, resulting in a cohesive, gentle aesthetic running throughout the practice.

Advertising Agency, Frankfurt am Main

 

Three spatial zoning devices - a wall, a ceiling plane and a block - organise this interior solution for a Frankfurt advertising agency.  

 

The block functions as a utility node, containing the reception, server room, kitchen and washroom. The wall demarcates the main work area from the entrance; absorbs extraneous noise from the busy street; and houses a multi-folding screen, used when more privacy is required. The ceiling plane acts as a spatial interface between the block and wall, adding depth and drama to the composition as a whole. 

 

Colour Hotel, Frankfurt am Main

The project entailed a complete re-branding and internal renovation of an existing five-storey hotel.

The new branding is comprehensive, the logo design being applied to a variety of end uses - from an illuminated sign box on the outside of the building to stationery and coffee cups, key wallet holders, visiting cards, and the semi cryptic information board in reception.

Throughout the scheme, the clean white aesthetic underpins the accent colour concept. Each of the five floors is assigned its own colour, selectively used for soft furnishings and for the over-sized graphics for room numbers and room types that animate the corridors. An additional wall graphic in each bedroom disseminates the five-colour narrative. The curtains are also colour-coded, so enabling the hotel’s front façade to function as a giant billboard.

In the lobby, the design treatment is both measured and relaxed. A bespoke lime green sofa with colour-coded cushions delivers a contemporary and stylish focal point; while housed in a large wall mounted lightbox, fashioned as an artwork, a series of seminal travelling quotes, from Goethe and Oscar Wilde, entertain guests and visitors alike.

Pavilion Siegen 

Pavilion Siegen articulates an assured yet subtle compression of space, framing views of the lake and the local topography. The building’s tectonic rigour is palpable, with its seemingly gravity defying configuration enabling the floor plate and ceiling to cantilever some 6m beyond the lakeshore.

The scheme is both a weekend fishing retreat and a garage for three classic cars. A toilet and washroom facility is also included, as is a storage unit for the client’s angling equipment. Detailing is measured throughout - from the integrated lighting to the fully glazed internal area.

A strict proportional grid organizes the composition: the floor plan measures 12x12m; the interior, 9x9m; and the oversized steel doors, 3x3m - these were manufactured by the client's engineering company, as were the bespoke spindles on which they pivot, allowing each door, weighing 340 kilos, to be opened with a push of a single finger. The grid template was also used to configure the shuttering joints and fenestration divisions.

Structurally, the cantilevered platform comprises a series of precast concrete slabs, tied back to massive drum foundations. A finishing layer of in-situ concrete gives the floor surface an aesthetic uniformity; the walls and ceiling were similarly cast in-situ. Integral to the project is the concrete's carefully formulated off-white finish that refines the pavilion's dialogue with the surrounding terrain.

From an environmental standpoint, the use of special non-oiled shuttering ensured that the lake’s fish population came to no harm during the construction process.