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WORKPLACE A twist on NYC prefab to lure workers back


New York architectural firm HWKN has partnered with German developer Landmarken to create what the practice is claiming as the “next generation of the office,”with one of their ‘Spirit prototypes,’ BrainFactory in Bochum, Germany, scheduled to open in January 2023. “We have to lure people back to the


office,” commented HWKN’s Matthias Hollwich.“With Spirit, we achieve that by turning the building into a destination, adding lifestyle amenities, greater flexibility, and openness to what was once just a commodity. By adding emotion, we turn the commonplace into the unforgettable.” BrainFactory Bochum will be followed


by AlphaSpace Aachen and KiteLoft Köln, to be completed in the next two years.At 86,100 ft2


, BrainFactory Bochum will


house approximately 600 employees. The architects commented: “Spirit’s


futuristic, socially innovative workspaces first utilise the latest generation of custom,


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prefabricated real estate products. Then, the shapeshifting begins.” HWKN continued: “We playfully


removed sections of the ‘prefabricated box’ to create a defining and iconic disruption of the standard exterior.” Since the prefab system does not allow for cantilevers, HWKN opted for a “daring, distorted- column grid.”Hollwich added: “We uplifted and twisted the standard image of ‘the box.’” On the inside, to enhance the “sociability” of this workplace,HWKN exposed internal structural columns, cutting out sections of the prefab box. Light now reportedly “floods” into the seating lounges. The same reconfiguration – a cut- out turned 45° – also creates light-filled co-working areas. The brass finish of the sculpted exterior extends throughout, “adding personality and forging an aesthetic link to the building as a whole and the city surrounding it.”


“We have reinvented the box while still


taking advantage of mass production,” said Hollwich. “The earlyModernists of the Twentieth Century sought to make elegant, mass-produced housing.A hundred years later we are doing the same for the office with an emotional twist.” The Spirit brand embodies HWKN’s core


design principles: respect for nature, a happy and healthy work environment, intelligent design, and dedication to both neighbours and the community at large. A design breakthrough, Spirit has


resonated with HWKN’s client, Landmarken. “We were excited by an office design that was inspired by the progressive urban design of New York while still being affordable”, says Landmarken’s Jochen Hermanns. “When they open, Spirit Offices will help our clients attract top talent by creating an energised workplace and culture that beats the home office.”


ADF NOVEMBER 2021


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