Riegler/Riewe designs many of their projects based on orthogonality, which increases the openness of the design and the number of associated possibilities to align sequences and, in turn, allows the creation of drama and rhythmicity. By demarcating a border in relation to the surrounding environment, a closed structure is defined within the available area – an "open campus building" – and this can be overlaid on an orthogonal grid in which individual, cuboid blocks are lined up side-by-side. These eight 3-story structures are arranged to form a structure similar to that of a small-town, adding paths, streets and individual squares that are planted with different tree species. The buildings consist of a two-wing layout with an open space in between, with the offices located in the south-facing areas and the seminar rooms, libraries, etc. found in the northern half of the building. The individual building units are connected by bridges that join institutes, which are located either on individual floors or occupy entire buildings. The static structure consists of a row of pillars on the interior of the outer building envelope and a supporting wall between the offices and access areas, ensuring a high degree of flexibility of terms of use. The concrete façade is not load-bearing. The ground floor zones were designed as easy-access, allowing freely flowing movement of users despite the strict, grid-like structure of the facility.
Annotated text: Arno Ritter
