UNStudio has completed work on a new office building for the German operation of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Düsseldorf.
Their vision for a new ‘vertical work campus‘ concept was realized with support from the local firm HPP Architekten. The firms say their main intent for the Eclipse project was to “foster interaction and to inspire creativity by providing an inspirational and attractive work environment for today’s talent.” The 196-foot-tall building includes 290,600 square feet of office space for around 1,200 workplaces across a total of 16 stories.
The design of Eclipse resolves space on a difficult site by positioning a triangular volume above a two-story podium. Its 360-degree facade orients to the neighboring Hilton Hotel at its south elevation while the northern-facing side is established parallel to Kennedydamm, the main motor vehicle thoroughfare leading to the center of the city.
The form and fenestration of the tower give it a unique architectural character. A “three-dimensional helix” comprising interior atrium spaces ascends the facade while connecting the different programs in clusters and culminating in a panoramic garden space on the rooftop level. The leading edge of the tower cantilevers approximately 36 feet above the approach, supported by a V-shaped column. Parking space for 455 vehicles is included in two subterranean basement levels
A diagonal setback at its base helps frame a spacious and inviting, sky-lit lobby space that includes meeting rooms and a restaurant while offering a connection to an outdoor conference terrace on the other side of the podium.
By centering the arrangement of the helixed atria, the design team creates a new kind of collaboration-fostering vertical workplace that can be flexibly adapted into landscape-office or cell-office formats in the future. UNStudio says their “intention here is to combine the rationality of office efficiency with a social surplus, making the work environment social, meaningful, and healthy for all employees.”
Finally, the project offers many sustainability credentials, including passive heating/cooling and a ‘smart engine’ building management system that leverages 2,000 individual sensors collecting building data in real-time based on the human presence in a given space.
As a result, UNStudio says up to 200 tonnes of CO2 savings per year can be achieved in the building. The program includes parking spaces for 200 bicycles and EV charging stations. A DGNB Diamond certification is an overall goal for the completed project, according to the architects.
UNStudio also recently won a competition to deliver another mixed-use two-tower design in the northern portion of Düsseldorf's commercial center and has completed office designs in the Dutch cities of Eindhoven and Amsterdam within the past year.
Additional views of the Eclipse tower exterior and facade can be seen in UNStudio's Instagram album below.
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