Zollverein school of management and design SANAA architectsEssen, Germany2006

Unique mix of business and design

Within the current development of the global market, design has become a decisive factor. Design is important for various sectors such as the consumer goods industry but also in the service sector. The Zollverein School focuses on the relation between design and management. The mix of the disciplines improves the knowledge of both. The combination makes both practices more competitive. Within the discipline of management traditional economic theory cannot be applied anymore. In a world where things change quickly one cannot rely on the idea that consistent thinking and logic will offer a solution.The designprocess offers a more sustainable solution in this environment.

Combination of research and practice

The School is both theoretical as practical. There is a part for education and research and another part is the implementation of this in the working world. The focus at the Zollverein is on practical research projects. “The Zollverein school can be seen as one element responsible for the change from a centre of the production industry towards a network for the creative industry.” ( Bruder, R., The Zollverein school of management )

SANAA on art and architecture

In her work, for example the Saishunkan Seiyaku Women’s dormitory (Kumamoto , Japan, 1991), she provides a collective space in the building for all the individuals that can be used by everyone in the way he or she wants. All individual spaces, the private dormitories, are orientated towards this space.

Program organization and position of teaching

Concerning the teaching, the program in this building is organized in a non-hierarchical way. One large open space houses the program required for teaching. There are no subdivisions, individual spaces or even corridors. Formal and informal discussions and meetings are all in the same room. SANAA designed the ateliers as a kind of empty shell, or immaterial space in which the students and the teachers populate the learning landscape which starts to become vibrant when people start to use the space. The teacher-student relations are non-hierarchical as well. Usually the teacher is seated in front of the class and is therefore clearly on a different level, but at the Zollverein design school the teachers are on thesame level as the students. Together with the free circulation and the absence of visible construction elements this results in a variety of changing paths and meeting points which clearly shows the dynamic character of the school.

Development of the ruhr area

The Zollverein in the Ruhr district has lost its function as a major coalmine industry and today it has become a touristic attraction and it develops into a centre for design and the creative industry. Several institutes for design are at the Zollverein, such as the Designzentrum Westfalen and a choreographic centre. The Zollverein School of Management and Design is another major attractor in the area. There is an intellectual and physical network at the Zollverein that works as an important fundament for the development of this area. The start of the school was sponsored by the EU and the Westfalen district however, the school is a private institute.

The building itself relates to the scale of the neighbouring industrial buildings, while on the same time creating a strong presence marking the entrance to the whole site. The building fuses the industrial past with its future of design and art.

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Groundfloor scale 1/200

Third floor scale 1/200 Roof terrace scale 1/200Second floor scale 1/200

First floor scale 1/200

cafetaria

exposition

auditorium

seminar rooms

library mediatheque

Offices

ateliers

The Zollverein school of management and design, Essen, Germany Situation scale 1 / 1500

Zollverein school of management and design SANAA architectsEssen, Germany2006 2

Interpretation of program

There is no formality or intention created through the interpretation of a program. A building by SANAA can be a school, museum or theatre. It is almost impossible to recognize the building typology from the exterior. The construction of the school is kept to a visible minimum. The loadbearing facades and cores together result in large spans, which allowed construction to be visibly, nearly non-existent and contributed to maximum flexibility. Inside the loadbearing facades an ingenious system of hot waterpipes is incorporated resulting in a thin slab of concrete with excellent isolating properties. The thin facades now give the building a light appearance although the facades are comprised of concrete. The facades are penetrated with square openings, allowing for views of the surroundings and for moderate natural light into the interiors. It is not obvious where the floors are from the outside.

The spaces and presentation of the Zollverein

The non-hierarchical spaces in the Zollverein are different per floor. On the ground level a glass wall separates the auditorium from the other functions. The floor with the design studios is horizontally as well as vertically flexible. The large height allowes for big installations and artworks. This floor has no internal separating elements. The office floor is designed as a courtyard. Rooms are centered around patios. However, the structure of this floor with its glass walls and patios does not divide.

East elevation scale 1/500 West elevation scale 1/500 South elevation scale 1/500

North elevation scale 1/200

Design studio

Research

Offices

Roofterrace

A view of the model made for the competition by SANAA The same view but now from the real building taken before completion

Cafe auditorium exhibition

Zollverein school of management and design SANAA architectsEssen, Germany2006 3

440 m2

170 m2250 m2 250 m2

900 m2

500 m2

750 m2

1100 m2

200 m2

1500 m2

foyer

public

theatre/auditorium

museum/exposition

cafe/restaurant

library/mediatheque

depot offices laboratory/atelier

parking outside /roofterrace

Program

program / non program

flexible / fixed spaces

formal/ informal meetingplaces

Circulation

own character in another way. The position of the windows creates a specific relation between inside and outside. From the outside the façade gets a uniform character through the square windows and from the inside it frames the site. The size and intensity differs and creates a different character per floor. Three levels have horizontally one line of windows. At level 0 the openings are larger and appear more frequent. In this way it becomes transparent and opens up for the public.

Level 3 is similar to level 0. Here it is more important that enough light can enter. At the officelevel the openings are smaller and together with the circulation along the façade this floor has a more introverted character. The relation between the officespaces becomes more important. The main source of light are the patios that are positioned more centrally.

The designstudio on level 1 has the most windows. Here the façade almost dissolves at the corners. Vertically there are up to 3 openings. This frames or filters the outside in a complex way but allows also a view of the interior from the outside. The designschool is the most expressive part from the exterior, yet it does not loose its private character.

collective = student

private-collective = research

private = employee

public = visitors

non program space

space with program

separating element

free space

fixed space for groupmeetings

servicespace

area for students / audience

teacher

fixed workspace

service space

informal meeting or flexible space

Horizontal circulation

Entrance

free horizontal circulation

private

The scale and shape of the building is derrived from the other buildings on the Zollverein area. The neighbouring buildings however, are completely outsized.

The scale and shape of the building is derrived from the other buildings on the Zollverein area. The neighbouring buildings however, are completely outsized.

roofterrace

offices for research/ staff/ visiting lecturers

Library-seminarrooms

designstudio

cafeteria-exhibition-auditorium

vertical circulation

Program organisation public private

Open floorplan (level 1 + basis for all plans) Open floorplan with volumes (level 0 + 2) Pattern of workspaces (level 3)

Free movement in the designschool (level 1) Directed movement through the volumes (level 2) Passage enclosing the officespace (level 3)

Option 1: free arrangement where teachers and students mix (level 1)

Option 2: different groups can be formed that use the space differently (level 1)

Fixed arrangement for groupmeetings (level 2)

Informal meeting at the designlevel (level 1) Informal meeting and flexible spaces along the edges (level 2)

Fixed network of offices and patios for informal meetings (level 3)

Informal meeting and flexible spaces for exposition and the cafe (level 0)

Directed movement through the volumes (level 0)

Programmatic organization

The program for the Zollverein is organized in a compact way.The different functions are stacked and the physical distance between each function is minimal. The stacking allows the different functions to work independently. They can all be accessed by the cores. There is a clear order between the levels. It becomes more private every time you ascend a floor. The distance for the designstudio to the more public places as well as the research area is as short as possible because it is located inbetween the two. The position of the offices just above the library is equally usefull. Together with the open floorplans that allows the program mass to be compact the intelligent stacking makes the relations between the different functions very intense.

Expression of the façade and the influence on the interior

The scale of the volume relates to the other industrial buildings at the Zollverein area. The materials are different but have an equal strong character. Instead of the rigid brick, steel and glass facades bare concrete with large glass windows have been used. It gets its individual character in this way without loosing its connection to the site.The seemingly random position of the openings enhances its