Page 21 - AIT1222_Leseprobe

Entwurf • Design Lederer Ragnarsdóttir Oei, Stuttgart
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan
Grundriss Obergeschoss • Upper floor plan
Bauherr • Client Landratsamt Esslingen, Esslingen
Standort • Location Am Aussichtsturm 7, Plochingen
Nutzfläche • Floor space 9918 m 2
Foto: Zooey Braun
Fotos • Photos Roland Halbe, Stuttgart
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 126
ADMINISTRATION
CENTER IN PLOCHINGEN
Going to offices and authorities is bothersome – bure-
aucracy in Germany appears to be connected with tre-
mendous effort and costs nerves as well as time. LRO
from Stuttgart give these official appointments – at least
in Esslingen – a bit of a fresh breeze: The blue-white stri-
ped sun shading of the façade reminds of parasols on
the beach or the awnings of ice-cream parlours.
T he district administrative office in Esslingen looks friendly already
from a distance. The new building designed by Lederer Ragnarsdót-
tir Oei Architekten with its airy-light appearance, the striking awnings
and the wide window surfaces manages to remove fears of the un-
known even before one first has to enter it. Planned as an extension of
the existing construction, the administration building stands on a hill
above the city of Plochingen, surrounded by ample green and few
neighbouring developments in an excellent location above the Neckar
Valley. A winding, covered passage links the old building from the 1970s
with the new building and guides visitors inside with a welcoming ge-
sture. Large portholes mark the transition between outside and inside
and quite naturally lead into the foyer that is characterized by modest
restraint. The architects planned a five-storey structure with a square
layout and an inner courtyard. Whoever arrives in the foyer of the new
building in the east section is guided to the counters that are located to
the left and the right next to the inner courtyard. In the western part of
the building are the semi-public and internal rooms whereas all the pu-
blic areas are in the eastern part. Due to the repetition of the layout
structure on the upper floors, a pragmatic and quick to grasp principle
of use results. The employees have a separate access to the district-ad-
ministration building and thus the zone of the building can be used free
from disturbances due to the areas open to the public. All the offices
allow looking out into the green nature and a view of the Neckar Valley
– this lightness is reflected in the transparent-looking façade. Wrap-
around balconies consisting of prefabricated concrete components ho-
rizontally structure the view and are a special feature of the design at
the same time: Their considerable overhang serves as sun shading, it is
a constructional protection for the wooden façade elements and it gives
the administrative employees an additional special view. Plant contai-
ners that are embedded in the grid of the concrete slabs and, depending
on the direction, are planted with fragrant rosebushes, jasmine, laven-
der or heather – a novel interpretation of façade greening!
AIT 12.2022 • 097