Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände Cologne

The administrative building of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) in Cologne is a large, multi-storey atrium building from the 1970s. Its weak point was the corridors: long, narrow and uninviting, they shaped everyday life in the building more than any other space. Our task was to redesign these corridors without altering the structure of the building.

The solution lies in a deliberate play with perception. Shimmering metal wall cladding reflects the light and makes the corridors appear wider. A light installation on the ceiling traces the pattern of a cross vault. It divides the long corridors into individual sections, visually shortens them and lends them an almost sacred rhythm.

For the floor, we designed a custom-made carpet that depicts an oversized steel grating with deceptive realism. The eye seems to fall through the floor into the depths below, making the corridors feel light and airy, almost floating.

The men’s toilets received particular attention. For them, the architect designed a pentagonal stainless steel urinal unit around which users stand in a circle, separated from one another by frosted glass panels – a tongue-in-cheek reference to a tree. Gudrun Wurlitzer found this more discreet than an arrangement in which everyone entering sees the others from behind.

With a few precisely deployed means, mere circulation spaces are thus transformed into rooms with a character of their own, giving the building a new identity.

For the staff restaurant, the artist Andreas Schulze designed a wallpaper featuring Arzberg porcelain plates.