Benjamin Beckers

At the location of the colliery Zollverein in Essen a new design school will be founded. As an attractor it plays a central role in the reorganisation of the former industrial area. Multidisciplinary studies and research programs aim at a closer link between theory and practice. One part of the d|s|z is therefore the “start factory”, which offers space for scholarship holders and recent graduates/companies.

The d|s|z could be described as a platform for science and research, a laboratory for art, architecture and first of all design.

The concept of the project is based on the idea of the “think tank”, an introverted building, that creates its own world inside and generates a special atmosphere, which provokes and provides concentration as well as communication.

According to this the program is organized. It is differentiated between static and dynamic functions (specific and generic space).

The static functions are located at the exterior skin, forming a condensed edge zone, which defines the interior space by its mass.

The modulation of the internal layer generates areas, niches and overhangs, which provide a free flowing space for dynamic functions (= student work). Thereby created various spatial qualities allow different work structures.

The interior space penetrates the peripheral shell at different parts of the building for illumination and certain contextual links to the environment. By its form, surface material and lighting this interior should get a unique atmosphere.

The compact building acts with its scale as a counterweight to the existing dump and the industrial monuments. Its appearance changes depending on the viewpoint and daytime, from a closed surface, which underlines the monolithic character of the building, up to different levels of transparency, which entail a blurring exterior. This mysterious glimmer arouses curiousity and underlines the emblematic character, that the task and the place requires.

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