Research and Development Centre in Dogern
For decades the furniture manufacturer Sedus Stoll has sought to concentrate its operations in Degern. In 2003 a high-bay warehouse in the form of a colourful cube designed by SauerbruchHutton was completed. Seven years later a confident counterpart has completed the consolidation process: its building massing and geometry mediate between the 30-metre-tall storage structure and the surrounding residential fabric. This new research centre is a white, introverted monolith with pitched roof. Thanks to the textile skin, its impression is that of a lightweight pavilion, but that changes when one enters the 3-storey structure: exposed concrete walls set the mood in the lobby and call attention to the fact that the structure houses workshops and laboratories for experimentation. The upper level, in contrast, was executed as lightweight timber construction. Windows wrap around the entire building and provide ample daylight to the workspaces. The greyish blue ceiling appears to float above the red floor. The roof is supported by a central core, whose textile-covered concrete walls are not just part of the visual concept, but also function acoustically. In this core, the 7-metre-high, tent-like project room plays the leading role. Light enters the space through the milk glass facade of the “think space” above it. The architects also demonstrated their feel for material and light in their mastery of the textile skin. The glass-fibre textile is held in place by an steel-tube frame.
