Christoph Elsässer

The context

This thesis deals with new types of working spaces. Each type of work produces its own expression of architecture around itself. Tools like the copymachine and the telephone have, already in earlier times, altered the office centres.

With respect to the fast development of new media, it makes sense to think about new types of office building in the future. Up to now, new media have already changed the office world a great deal. This thesis tries to go further in future times.

The project

The changes in the type of work also cause a change in the surrounding building of the working unit. How much influence do new media have on our way of working and living?

By designing a headquarter for a software company I’ll try to answer this question. The company is going to be situated in Düsseldorf in the historic city centre at the river Rhine. It has 453 employees. They’re going to work only for a few days a week in the headquarter building. For the rest of the time they can do their work wherever they want. The new building is going to contain some relaxing facilities such as a swimmingpool, tabletennis, squashfields and a restaurant. The employees get the chance to relax and work at the same place, nearly at the same time.

The behaviour

I analysed some stories to work out the program for the facilities offered by the building. The stories are invented and tell about possible behaviours of the working people. From the result of the research I drew a building complex that serves its inhabitants perfectly.

The situation in the city

The building is situated in the heart of Düsseldorf at the river Rhine. It makes use of all the attractions of the city. At the same time, it offers its recreation parts to Düsseldorf. The sporting facilities are linked to the town as well as to the company.

The tool of new work

The needs of the employees and their behaviour in working create a special furniture. Each furniture belongs to one worker. It offers all that a regular workingspace offers and can be reduced to a minimum size of a quart squaremeter. Because everybody has his own working furniture he gets addicted to his company.

Architecture

The architecture gets a serving function. It is the structure that combines the office and the sportcentre and the facilities of the city. The building should give everybody the feeling of being at a unique place. In a certain way it has to link two worlds together, which may never interrupt each other. The result is a building complex of needs which uses the city and offers at the same time a new way of working and living.

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