Zollverein Design School

As the first new building on the grounds of the Zollverein World Heritage site, the Zollverein School will provide ground-breaking impetus for the future transformation of the former industrial complex into a design location with international reach. The building will also enhance the urban planning value of the surrounding districts in the northern part of Essen and the Ruhr. The sharp-edged bright, light grey 34 high cube looks both powerful and lightweight at the same time. The design is characterized by extreme purism. The formal closed appearance of the over-sized cube is broken up by the irregular arrangement of windows. It comprises four storeys (four levels and a rooftop garden) of different ceiling heights. There are few supporting structures and all of the building technology is hidden in the walls and ceilings. As a Far Eastern counterpart to the austere Bauhaus style, the building radiates an almost poetic power.