The “Hammerschmidt” is an innovative new species of building for current forms of working: A vertical campus with focus on variety and encounter, agility, and transformation. The highly adaptable structure offers flexible spatial arrangements for businesses of every size, as well as attractive exterior spaces such as a 2,000-square-meter rooftop terrace. Located in Dornach, a suburb directly outside the gates of Munich, it is surrounded by greenery while being well connected to the city’s infrastructure.
The building is separated into six decks stacked atop each other. Three cores divide the decks into open units, which tenants can combine and reconfigure according to their needs – be it open plan, cellular, flex or club offices. Three cores divide the decks into open units, which tenants can combine and reconfigure according to their needs. On each deck, wraparound balconies and manually operable floor-to-ceiling windows ensure that each workspace offers daylight, wide views – and direct access to the outside. Users can flexibly choose if they want to work, or meet indoors or open-air. A key feature is the open-air cascading stairwell that serves as much more than mere circulatory space: Stretching over the building’s entire northern façade from bottom to top, it is an inviting community zone suited for informal meetings and breaks in the fresh air. It continues to the extensive rooftop that is open to everybody, from those looking to train in the open-air gym and on the fitness track, to those gathering after-hours and enjoying the sunset together – with panoramic views of the Alps.
The unique architecture of this office building is both the medium and message: The Hammerschmidt is a “rough structure with soft skills", in which new work and work-life balance find their spatial equivalent. It’s a bold architectural statement that also offers new ways of upgrading.