Developed for the architectural competition organized by real estate company, STI Immobilienmanagement, HENN's design for the Glazed Software Factory was just announced as the winning proposal. The company's new office building, located in Karlsruhe, consists of open, transparent spatial structures allowing for a varying range of office types. This strategy combines areas of communication and concentration with one another to provide a bright and diverse working environment for customers and staff. More images and architects' description after the break.
This open and transparent building concept is not only expressed in the external appearance of the new building but is also continued in the building structure and internal layout. In terms of urban design, the building takes the elongated plot as its theme. Three interlocking and slightly offset volumes form numerous terraces and accentuate the main entrance on the north side of the site.
So as to ensure a high degree of flexibility, the building is designed to be divided into smaller units and rented, if required. Two main entrances, each with their own foyer, one for the main building user and one for future tenants, mean that building users are clearly separated as they enter the ground floor. Generous, transparent stairwells and open connecting bridges enable rapid orientation within the building and create a variety of visual relationships for views in and out of the building.
