Dominikus Stark
Haus für Geoinformationen
best architects 18
office/administrative buildings
Place
Kranzberg / Germany
Studio
Photos
Michael Heinrich
Description
House of Geoinformation / A software developer from California consciously chose a municipality with three thousand residents for its German base. The decision to strengthen the rural site with a new building helps employees to better reconcile work and family life due to affordable housing nearby. Surrounded by a heterogeneous mix of single-family homes and twin houses, the »House of Geoinformation« is split into three volumes. The building opens up to the north, where it faces the campus and fills the working space with generous and suitable light to a great extent. The aim was to build a high-grade house with a lasting quality of firmness and beauty – generous space proportions, high ceilings, natural light and a proper relation to the outer space. The simple thermal activation of construction components creates a balanced, comfortable indoor climate. The windows can be opened for individual ventilation and a straight connection to the outside. On the outside familiar elements like a wall, a gritted yard, a chestnut tree, a bench and a water basin create a sense of belonging.