Barcode Architects and Tchoban Voss Architekten won the Dresden City Headquarters competition

Description of project by Barcode Architects and Tchoban Voss Architekten

Barcode Architects and Tchoban Voss Architekten have created the winning proposal for the prestigious design competition for the new Dresden City Headquarters. The 34,000m² 'Verwaltungszentrum' is situated on a prominent inner city location and will be part of a larger urban transformation of the Ferdinandplatz. The project has been designed in close collaboration with the construction team partners Züblin / Strabag and Dressler Bau.
 
The Dresden City Headquarters has an inviting, all-sided character, with three urban windows carved from the volume. The opening at the Ferdinandplatz establishes a strong relation with the square while the window at the northside provides a unique panorama and connects to the monumental City Hall. A lifted green patio faces the Grosser Garten and reflects the green ambitions of the city.

From the Ferdinandplatz, citizens enter the building through an inviting city foyer. This open space will be a place for public interaction and accommodates the main reception area, the restaurant, and different public facilities. On both sides of the entrance two generous staircases lead up to the first floor. One staircase forms a large presentation podium — or the ‘agora’ — where debates can be organized and projects can be presented with a view over the Ferdinandplatz. The first floor level holds the public conference center and functions as a living room for civil servants and the public, against the backdrop of the historic Rathaus. On the upper floors, the office spaces are cleverly organized around two open patio gardens enclosing a central core, which facilitates short functional relations between employees and provides a clear orientation. 

The two courtyards function as the building’s green lungs and ensure pleasant daylight conditions and a natural, healthy working environment, across all office floors. The eastern patio opens to the St. Petersburgerstrasse as a lifted garden and can be used by employees for a moment to catch some air, or an informal meeting overlooking the city.
 
The building has a characteristic, three-layered façade buildup that fits the local architectural values and simultaneously adds a pleasant human scale to the whole. The natural stone façade mediates between the identity of the historical city center and the contemporary ambitions of the city. Floor-to-ceiling windows unveil the warm, wooden interiors and large green walls to the outside world. The darker crown visually reduces the height of the volume. The total result is a carefully embedded, but all-round expressive and transparent environment for the Dresden citizens and their government. 

The project was designed by Barcode Architects in collaboration with Tchoban Voss Architekten, and will be built by Züblin AG/Dressler Bau. The design team also includes Werner Genest und Partner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH (building physics, acoustics), Prof. Rühle, Jentzsch und Partner GmbH (fire safety), Zimmermann und Becker GmbH (installations) and Noack Landschaftsarchitekten (landscape design). The building’s completion is expected in 2025.

"We are particularly proud to present our winning design for the Dresden City Headquarters. In addition to our ongoing German projects, this is our first major public project in the Saxony region. 

It is a design with a special identity that strengthens our focus and future role in Germany. The cooperation with Tchoban Voss Architekten, who are based in Dresden, is natural and shows that the combination of international design and German expertise can lead to a strong and impressive result.

The design has a conscious and contemporary identity that supports a lively interaction with the public domain. The functional and inviting volume has been carefully fitted into the inner city context. At the same time, the building's spatial structure and large city windows establish an almost un-German open relationship with the immediate surroundings. The goal of this 'Dutch' openness is to contribute to a flourishing relationship between the public and city administrators. The City Headquarters brings politics closer to its citizens.

A cultural shift is taking place in Germany. Our design shows that there is transition towards more attention for contemporary and inviting architecture that answers to the cultural and functional needs of the city. Whereas in recent decades relatively monotone and introvert buildings have been realised, you now see a need for more specific buildings, which enter into a sustainable and human relationship with the urban domain. With the design of the Verwaltungszentrum we are contributing to these contemporary needs.

I would like to thank all the partners that have made this project possible, above all our local partner Tchoban Voss Architekten and our clients Züblin AG and Dressler Bau."

Barcode Architects’ partner Dirk Peters.