Behnisch Architekten Wins Back-to-Back Competitions: Lab, Hospitality, Corporate, Residential Projects Across Europe
Behnisch Architekten obtained new commissions in three European countries. The range of projects — from research building to leisure complex to corporate headquarters and apartment tower—confirms the firm’s diversity, along with its singularity of commitment to creating places that benefit society and minimize the impact on the planet.
“Our vision is decidedly optimistic, combining the positive aspects of various developments in different situations at different densities, offering much improved living and working conditions,” says Stefan Behnisch, BDA, RIBA, CIMA, principal/partner of the Stuttgart-based firm, which has U.S. offices in Venice, CA, and Boston, MA.
Unilever Headquarters (Hamburg, Germany)
Multi-national consumer health, food, and personal-care product company
Unilever plans to move to a prominent waterfront location in Hamburg’s
HafenCity, one of the most dynamic urban developments in Europe. The
proposed building needed to promote internal communication among an
office staff of a 1,200+, maximize the panoramic views of the river,
and sustain an advanced energy concept. A large central atrium will be
ringed with offices and will face Marco Polo Platz on the city side of
the building. The configuration provides a vibrant public realm with
such amenities as showrooms and restaurants that welcome the public to
a generous and inviting atrium, while casually introducing them to the
world of Unilever. Completion is expected in spring 2009.
Marco Polo Tower (Hamburg, Germany)
As well as winning the Unilever building in Hamburg’s HafenCity,
Behnisch Architekten has also won a competition to design the Marco
Polo Tower, a 16-story residential building in the same area. The
tower will accommodate 75 to 80 upscale apartments with various public
amenities on the ground floor. The apartments vary in size from 700 to
1,400 square feet, and all will include balconies and terraces. Floors
will vary in size and shape in response to the actual sightlines in
order to ensure that apartments afford optimal views. The project’s
environmental strategy aims to preserve natural resources by reducing
energy consumption through strategies of triple glazing, sun-shading
devices, and heat exchangers in groundwater. Completion is expected
2009.
Digiteo Labs (Paris, France)
Along with Paris-based BRS Architectes, Behnisch Architekten won a
competition for three research buildings in the Paris region. Digiteo
Labs, research facilities for information and communication
technologies, will have laboratories and conference spaces at three
sites: Saclay, Moulon à Gif-sur-Yvette, and Palaiseau. The complexes
will be shared by different research institutes, among them the Centre
National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the Polytechnical School,
and the University of Paris Sud. The international competition was
awarded in December 2006; schematic design began in March 2007;
completion is expected in late 2009.
Almaty Club and Resort (Butakovka, Kazakhstan)
Almaty Club and Resort in Butakovka, Kazakhstan, is the result of swift
economic development and a growing demand for upmarket residential and
hospitality buildings in the region. Behnisch Architekten will work
with Harder-Stumpfl Architekten and Transsolar ClimateEngineering (both
Stuttgart based) on the project. The design makes optimal use of the
local topography—a beautiful landscape of rivers and trees—and places
public amenities, such as fitness studios, cafés, restaurants, cinema,
kindergarten, and swimming pool, in this attractive environment. The
well-calculated placement and orientation in the landscape is just one
of many ecological features, as well as various passive measures inside
the buildings. Completion is expected in 2009.
Behnisch Architekten previously known as Behnisch, Behnisch &
Partner is a leader in creating distinctive architectural solutions
that are environmentally sustainable. The Stuttgart, Germany-based
architecture and planning firm maintains U.S. offices in Venice, CA,
and Boston, MA. Stefan Behnisch, RIBA, BDA, CIMA, is principal
partner, along with partners David Cook, RIBA, Martin Haas, and
Christof Jantzen, AIA, who oversees U.S. operations. Notable projects
include platinum-LEED-rated Genzyme Center in Cambridge, MA;
Norddeutsche Landesbank in Hannover, Germany; Cultural District
Riverfront Development Plan in Pittsburgh, PA; Unilever Headquarters in
Hamburg, Germany; Institute for Forestry and Nature Research in
Wageningen, The Netherlands; and the Harvard Science Complex in
Allston, MA. The firm works in both the public and private sectors.
The exhibition—“Ecology.Design.Synergy”—which explores the role of
sustainability in Behnisch Architekten’s work, toured Europe in 2007,
and continues its North American tour through 2010.
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Behnisch Architekten - Ozeaneum: German Oceanographic Museum
’Ecology.Design.Synergy’ - An Exhibition that looks at Sustainability for Architecture and Life