S43

By - 21 October 2015

S43 - renovation and energetic retrofitting of an apartment and office building project description.
Located on a hillside overlooking of the stuttgart city center, the original 1960’s office building was designed by traub architects for the liability association for german industry. they set the building into the hill, which gives the three-story building the appearance of two, more appropriate for the residential and educational surroundings. although the building was slated for demolition, we wanted to preserve the clarity and character of their original design, and with new architectural elements and principles, bring it to a new contemporary context. The mass of the building is divided into a body and plinth. as well as the material and color choices, the two upper floors have an advanced, high-efficiency metal and glass façade system. the window profiles and opening wings are anodized in a dark color to visually join the glass ribbon. the anodized metal parapet bands are brighter, nearly iridescent bronze, to emphasize the character of the two upper floors. this spatial - functional division reflects the residential use of the second floor and the offices on the floors below.
The parking and service areas are concealed beneath an extensive green roof, which also supports a pleasant wooden terrace used by the office staff. the building is powered by a combination of renewable and non-renewable sources, including solar water heating on the roof. rainwater is captured by a cistern for landscape irrigation.

Wittfoht Architekten BDA - Wittfoht Architekten is an internationally active firm of architects based in stuttgart that provides extensive design and planning know-how to a wide range of clients, including leading corporations and private investors. the development of innovative spatial and building concepts determines the strategic core of wittfoht architekten. We believe that the primary mission of architecture is to give a meaning to things, and to put them in a rational and an emotional relationship. architecture must achieve something above and beyond the mere fulfillment of a spatial program.
Firm owner prof. jens Wittfoht studied architecture at the technical university of darmstadt. in 1995, he founded petry + wittfoht freie architekten. he held a professorship at the university of applied sciences in frankfurt for architectural design, construction and interior architecture and in 2005 founded Wittfoht Architekten.