July 2009

The winner of the architectural competition to design the new Sedus office building in Dogern, Germany, has been announced

With the aim of collecting initial concepts for a new building in Dogern, Sedus Stoll AG launched a design competition in October 2008. Four architects’ offices were invited to submit their ideas. A new building featuring offices, seminar rooms and a showroom is to be erected for the departments still based in Waldshut in order to concentrate energy and synergies in a single location; the offices should be a harmonious addition to the rest of the company campus.

The jury awarded first prize to the Munich-based architect’s office Allmann Sattler Wappner before Christmas. The three other entrant firms each received a runners-up prize of equal merit: Münster-based Bolles + Wilson, LAVA and Wulf & Partner, both from Stuttgart.

The aim of the competition was to collect ideas and initial concepts for the office and showroom building and its integration into the company site. The addition should enable all departments still left at the original site in Waldshut to be moved to the new consolidated premises in Dogern. The project therefore not only includes the design of the new building with office space, conference rooms and a showroom, but also addresses the idea of a campus, with the associated design of roads and pathways, parking and landscaping.

In future the building will be the first port of call for numerous customers and visitors and host training sessions. The design process needed to focus on corporate philosophy, with the aim of supporting and promoting informal communication, as well as creating an atmosphere of “productive well-being” in the sense of Place 2.5 according to the Sedus mission. The majority of workstations should be located in an open-plan office environment. The new building needs to be a place of encounters, an expression of quality and courage, creating a “feeling of us” that can also be sensed by customers and visitors. The design therefore needs to be people-orientated, working outwards from their needs.

Having won 1st prize, Allmann Sattler Wappner from Munich has been requested to submit a finalised version of the competition entry in consultation with the specialist designers involved – Transsolar, CBP Tragwerksplanung and Realgrün Landschaftsarchitekten – following a collective workshop with Sedus. The original version still needs to be optimised in terms of construction volume and costs.

Description of the Allmann Sattler Wappner design
Allmann Sattler Wappner submitted a conclusive representation, which adeptly employs the existing high-bay warehouse by Sauerbruch Hutton as a landmark and interconnects with the remaining buildings on campus. They created a low-slung structure to occupy almost the entire competition site, featuring varied openings to the inside and outside. The ground-floor areas allocated to different purposes – showroom, museum, café and conference facilities – extend in a starburst pattern beyond the actual competition plot, integrating existing structures to optimum effect. The first floor is dedicated to office space, creating ideal conditions for interdepartmental communication. Exterior elevations combined with interior atria make optimum use of daylight conditions. The generous interchange of open and closed elevations, particularly on the side facing the site road, creates a unique silhouette for the new Sedus world.

Further information can be found in PressNET