Adidas is a world-renowned brand so it needs stellar offices, right? Behnisch Architekten made sure this is the case with the work done for the stunning Adidas “World Of Sports Arena” in Herzogenaurach, Germany. This is a building that covers 52,000 square meters and looks incredible from a distance. This does not mean it is not impressive when going inside.
This Arena is practically a landmark in the World Of Sports campus by Adidas. This new reception and office building marks the main entrance and welcomes visitors with a very strong visual identity. The architecture is expressive and functional. 2,000 employees work there and enjoy a workspace that is organized based on organic principles and flexibility.
The architects brainstormed based on the landscape, a modern workplace concept and transparency. Everything was based on communication, with the goal of forming a volume that is abstract to house 3 workspace floors.
A huge part of the building is the floating staircase found inside the atrium. It rises through a light well and takes the employees up to the 3 workspace sections. The staircase also offers wonderful views right into the atrium. The 3 levels are linked horizontally and vertically through a “main street”.
On every single floor this main street is linked by 6 kitchen hubs that represent key cities, all characterized by different furnishing types, colors and materials. The neighborhoods extend right into workspaces and build different local identities.
Basically, we have a key cities concept that creates different areas based on some cities that are important for sports and Adidas.
What instantly stands out with the Adidas World Of Sports arena is definitely the façade. It includes a specially developed shading and sun control system that adapts to the façade’s orientation. Interplay between minimum heat gain and maximum light transmittance is optimized. External shading is fixed and is mainly made out of perforated and opaque sheets that are mounted on a frame made out of aluminum.
The Adidas Aorld Of Sports arena aims to obtain LEED Gold certification.
Photographs: David Matthiessen
