Office and Retail Building on Werner-Bock-Strasse
An office and retail building with approximately 5,000 square meters of usable floor space is planned for a former industrial brownfield site on the outskirts of downtown Bielefeld that has stood vacant for years. The design calls for a four-story building situated at the corner of Werner-Bock-Strasse and Am Stadtholz. The block-like structure encompasses two courtyards of roughly equal size, which serve to provide natural light to the offices located within the block. The western courtyard is open toward Werner-Bock-Strasse on the lower two floors. A small café is planned here, whose outdoor dining area is intended to enliven the courtyard while simultaneously extending its impact into the adjacent public space.
The building is accessed at two points: at the architecturally striking corner where Werner-Bock-Strasse meets Am Stadtholz, and via the courtyard on the west side that opens onto Werner-Bock-Strasse. The positioning of the stairwells allows for maximum flexibility in the layout of the rental spaces. The façade consists of curtain-wall panels made of natural stone. A lighter material has been selected for the floor slabs, creating horizontal bands that stand out from the vertical surfaces between the irregularly spaced windows and structure the building.