Jacoby Studios in Paderborn
- Frank Kaltenbach
Since the 17th century, the Capuchin convent of St Vincent, near the source of the River Pader, has formed an urban focal point among the small-scale housing developments of Paderborn. From 1841 down to 2013, the spaces here were used as the federal hospital of St Vincent. Destruction that had occurred in the Second World War, reconstruction in a different form and numerous conversions and extensions meant that the original building structure was scarcely recognizable any more. In converting the complex into the headquarters of a medium-size firm, David Chipperfield Architects undertook radical changes. They had all roofs taken off and additions to the base walls of the original structure demolished, removing the remaining rendering from the ruin, and leaving the bare outer walls protected as a monument. In the eastern wing, the old brickwork was brought out to face the city. Here, the floors were retained, and the historical window divisions correspond with the cellular offices and conference rooms to the rear. Along the north, west and south faces, it is the loggia structure in front of the storey-height glazing that characterizes the new office strips, two to three storeys high and wrapped in windmill-like fashion about the historical cloister layout. With their deep shade, the loggias form a contrast to the closed walls. Nevertheless, in view of the sand-coloured, mineral-like material quality of the concrete, old and new are perceived as a unity.
