Dresden, Germany
“A cultural shift is taking place in Germany,” comments Dutch architect Dirk Peters, Barcode Architects Partner.
“Our design shows that there is transition towards more attention for contemporary and inviting architecture that answers to the cultural and functional needs of the city.”
“Whereas in recent decades relatively monotone and introvert buildings have been realised, you now see a need for more specific buildings, which enter into a sustainable and human relationship with the urban domain.”
“It is a design with a special identity that strengthens our focus and future role in Germany.”
The cooperation with Tchoban Voss Architekten, who are based in Dresden, is natural and shows that the combination of international design and German expertise can lead to a strong and impressive result.”
Barcode Architects and Tchoban Voss Architekten, together with Noack Landschaftsarchitekten, have landed the win of the Dresden City Public Administration Headquarters design competition.
Partner architect, Serge Tchoban is a European Prize for Architecture laureate.
The Dresden City Headquarters has an inviting, all-sided character, with three urban windows carved from the volume.
The opening at the Ferdinandplatz establishes a strong relation with the square while the window at the northside provides a unique panorama and connects to the monumental City Hall.
A lifted green patio faces the Grosser Garten and reflects the green ambitions of the city.
From the Ferdinandplatz, citizens enter the building through an inviting city foyer.
This open space will be a place for public interaction and accommodates the main reception area, the restaurant, and different public facilities.
On both sides of the entrance, two generous staircases lead up to the first floor.
One staircase forms a large presentation podium — or the ‘agora’ — where debates can be organized and projects can be presented with a view over the Ferdinandplatz.
The first floor level holds the public conference center and functions as a living room for civil servants and the public, against the backdrop of the historic Rathaus.
On the upper floors, the office spaces are cleverly organized around two open patio gardens enclosing a central core, which facilitates short functional relations between employees and provides a clear orientation.
The two courtyards function as the building’s green lungs and ensure pleasant daylight conditions and a natural, healthy working environment, across all office floors.
The eastern patio opens to the St. Petersburgerstrasse as a lifted garden and can be used by employees for a moment to catch some air, or an informal meeting overlooking the city.
The building has a characteristic, three-layered façade buildup that fits the local architectural values and simultaneously adds a pleasant human scale to the whole.
The natural stone façade mediates between the identity of the historical city center and the contemporary ambitions of the city.
Floor-to-ceiling windows unveil the warm, wooden interiors and large green walls to the outside world. The darker crown visually reduces the height of the volume.
The total result is a carefully embedded, but all-round expressive and transparent environment for the Dresden citizens and their government.
The 34,000m2 ‘Verwaltungszentrum’ will be part of a larger urban transformation of the Ferdinandplatz, and is expected to be complete in 2025.
Project: Dresden City Headquarters
Architects: Barcode Architects and Tchoban Voss Architekten
Design Team: Dirk Peters, Robbert Peters, Leon Seibert, Agata Majcherska, Jelena Nikolic, Martina Cicolari, Michele Cherubini, Hamed Jahanbanzejad, Maurits Verhoeff, Julia Hejmanowska, Luca Braccini, Alizee Taimanglo, Giacomo Reguzzi, Stefan Hutterer, Lea Hofmann, Ruggero Pedrini, and Beatrice Piola
Landscape Architects: Noack Landschaftsarchitekten
General Contractor: Züblin AG
Consultants: Werner Genest und Partner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH
Client: City of Dresden
