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Stadtwerke Bückeburg
The project is located in a 17th century castle town in Northern Germany. The moated castle is the central hub of a radial street pattern that leads to civic components, including a train station. The cross street in front of the station, aptly named Am Bahnhof (the street on the train station) terminates at the project site. The project responded to the Am Bahnhof axis by providing an urban front door to the train station and a secondary building entrance that allows access from the staff parking area. Between these two entries, a circulation atrium serves as the prominent social space of the building, improving impromptu communication among staff. The atrium unifies existing and new small office blocks, allowing the total project to fit the scale of the adjacent residential neighborhood. The program for this city services department addition and renovation in-cludes offices for three departments, a directors suite, conference center, employee kitchen, and exhibition area. The technical department offices occur at the west end due to the engineers interaction with workshop technicians in nearby buildings. The conference center and directors suite are located on the northeast side, nearest to the public entry, as an object in the garden. The remaining office wings consist of offices for energy advisors, business and public relations personnel. White plaster facades on the office blocks provide a neutral face to the traditional neighborhood. Curvilinear and angular walls suggest a space formed by the movement of water (a primary business component of the firm). This sculpted canyon has many caves and jetties for informal meetings and conversations and thus serves as the living room of the company. The glass atrium mediates the space between buildings, respecting facades and retaining garden views. It also serves as an exhibit area for consumer products and services. The project materials relate to indigenous limestone and plaster of the region. The canyon floor features a water pool at the base of the central stair. Solar components include photovoltaic panels and hot water collectors on the south facing roof. |