+ Neubau Dienstgebäude Karlsruhe ₂₀₂₁

Molestina Architekten + Stadtplaner GmbH

Competition entry

Renders : Adrian König

Urbanism

We propose a new spatial axis from east to west that gives the monumental buildings and open spaces around the Ettlinger Tor greater coherence and places the various green spaces in relation to one another through a public thoroughfare: starting from the green space around the Badisches Staatstheater, via the south side of the new Ettlinger Tor, through the competition area to the new avenue on the north-south axis. In the west, a new car-free bourgeois thoroughfare axis is now being created, which sees itself as a network of paths and squares in exciting variety. Two new squares are being created here: one to the east and one to the west of the planned new building. The Bürgerplatz in the east lives from the new Ettlinger Torbau on the western edge and the spacious main entrance to the new service building in the east. The transparent citizens' hall stands on this square like an extension of the square; the visitor finds information and orientation here. The Westplatz forms the start of the avenue running south and establishes a spatial relationship across the Kriegsstraße to the Nymphenpark and to the other green spaces in the north. The new district tower is on the east edge.

Building concept

The monumental city figure of the city of Karlsruhe, with its radial structure directed towards the castle, is punctuated with the many different, low-storey building typologies that form a diverse city figure. In addition to churches and castles, these many small and medium-sized buildings are lined up around a varied and yet strictly ordered overall city composition due to the monumental city plan. The unmistakable charm of Karlsruhe's city center lies in the overlaying of this monumental overall idea with the small-scale, varied buildings that enrich the shape of the city. Breaking down the large program into different building units is also a long-term guarantee that the building complex can be used in a wide variety of ways. This thought speaks to the future adaptability of the large facility and is a key component of our stance on sustainability alongside the construction and open space.

Construction / structural concept

A distinction is made between three areas for the supporting structure of the new building: the five-story office block, the reception hall surrounded by it, and the 20-story office tower. While the first two are planned as a wood/concrete hybrid construction, the office tower will be built entirely of reinforced concrete. All three buildings stand on a common underground car park.

Facades

The long building has an BFT construction with a small distance to the functional wooden facade. In this space, a BFT band is created as a parapet with a continuous planter for greening the facade. The hall and the closed front end of the long building consist of two-tone rusticated prefabricated concrete parts. The facade of the KiTa is a gridded, transparent concrete skeleton system. The tower is a largely glazed construction with continuous sun protection behind the outer glass surface in front of a continuous, filigree wooden inner facade.