Page 85 - AIT1223_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Lepel & Lepel, Köln
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan
Grundriss 1. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +1
Bauherr • Client Art-Invest Real Estate Management
Standort • Location Pempelforter Straße 11, Düsseldorf
Nutzfläche • Floor space 1820 m 2
Fotos • Photos Constantin Meyer, Köln
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 126
PENSION FUND
IN DÜSSELDORF
Some industries are quite simply associated with a
dusty, bureaucratic image. Tax consulting is one of
those sectors that are not necessarily synonymous
with innovatively designed workspaces. But beware of
stereotypes. The design by Lebel & Lepel for the Pensi-
on Fund of Tax Consultants in North Rhine-Westphalia
proves that this stereotype needs to be reconsidered.
T he new office concept for the Pension Fund of Tax Consultants
NRW (Versorgungswerk der Steuerberater NRW) in Düsseldorf
has been created on a floor area of almost 2,000 square metres.
It comes across as fresh and modern without compromising the
required seriousness. In other words, it’s not an ultra-hip start-up
groove that prevails here, but there’s a certain casualness flowing
through the rooms. The building itself, a listed urban villa dating
from 1912, was expanded in the 1980s with a sterile extension buil-
ding and had to undergo several reconstruction phases. For the re-
letting of the property to the Pension Fund, a new design concept
was urgently needed to provide an adequate office environment. The
Cologne-based architecture and interior design firm Lepel & Lepel
took on the challenge. As part of the planning, not only were the
access and circulation fundamentally changed (the staircase now
also connects the building parts), but the floor plans were also
revised, and the interiors were harmonised thanks to a consistent
facelift. The whole project pursued the motto: “Classic Design meets
New Style”. Overall, an open spatial structure has emerged, which
goes hand in hand with a clearly defined usage concept: In addition
to the obligatory work and meeting rooms, various communication
zones were particularly requested in order to promote dialogue bet-
ween employees. Foremost is the area that is equipped with seating
platforms on three sides, offering the possibility to make the space
perceptible in its vertical dimension. Blue wooden surfaces were
used to contrast the herringbone oak parquet laid in this area, and
yellow stools and cushions create accents. This colour concept was
also applied in other parts of the office premises. The 64-square-
metre bistro on the ground floor likewise promotes togetherness. To
bring even more transparency and a generous sense of space to the
office, some of the rooms are separated by glass partitions. Over-
all, a bright, welcoming and very prestigious atmosphere has been
created, to which the furniture contributes significantly.
AIT 12.2023 • 085