ThyssenKrupp Headquarters

At the historic premises in Essen’s Krupp belt, the ThyssenKrupp group has erected its new headquarters. It brings together the admin offices which were previously spread over a number of different premises and will become the group’s nerve centre. The district’s architecture is based on the idea of a campus: no solitary element rises up from it, but rather it is a flat, flexible structure built according to a joint project by ARGE Architetti TKQ, JSWD firm of architects and Chaix & Morel et Associés. The individual buildings nestle in a green area with lawns and trees. Connected by short pathways and small squares, the buildings are alongside a central lake.
 
The motif linking all of the buildings on the campus is the principle of overlapping the outside and the core. Metal fabrics, pierced sheet metal, sunshade strips and large, coloured, smooth sheet metal pieces are used to create many of the buildings’ surfaces. There are some areas with glazed facades. The changeable daylight brings variety to this mixture of transparent, solid and intermittent layers.

A lighting idea carefully designed by the Licht Kunst Licht firm guarantees that these architectural choices also work during the evening and at night. The attraction of this area is mainly due to the indoor lighting of the buildings which filters out, and a perception-changing solution adopted for the outdoor zone.
The central lake at the ThyssenKrupp headquarters plays a key role in the lighting of the outdoor plants. At night the Q1 main building is reflected by the lake and the light reflected from the lake back onto the facade of the building creates ever-changing volumes and depths. Careful selection of the outdoor luminaires means that the look of the buildings isn’t compromised, avoiding unwanted reflections and intrusive light points.

Along the two main paths, one large for pedestrians, on the left of the lake and the “Allee der Welten“ on the right with 15 types of trees from five continents, Delphi luminaires are installed, with a double optical assembly and excellent anti-glare features. A specially developed adjustable optic allows the luminaires to be flexibly angled in both directions. The designers opted for theatrical lighting with a clear light/dark contrast. Roads for vehicle traffic are lit to legal standards using Delphi luminaires with a street optic. This project won an award in 2012 for the best street lighting project in the “Der Deutsche Licht Design - Preis”.