Our design for the new Medienhaus, located not far from Ulm’s city center on Olga Strasse, was inspired by an interplay of functionality, the urban atmosphere and the need to cultivate a certain image. Bringing various services and entities together in one area is a key component of the Neue Pressegesellschaft’s corporate strategy. The Medienhaus serves as an initial building block for this new district under development in the so-called Ulmer Neustadt. In response to the very diverse surroundings and predominant traffic congestion, the design aspires to create a cityscape that harks back to its Wilhelmine Era roots with tree-lined boulevards and public parks.  

In our concept, the goal was to find the appropriate scale for the design given the volume of space required. The addition of an interstitial corridor and two voids in the façade helps structure the building and integrate it seamlessly into its urban context. On either end of the interstitial space diagonally bisecting the building, there is an entrance within the void to welcome occupants and visitors. The angle of the diagonal is a product of the site’s particular location, which lies along a direct route between Ulm Cathedral to the southwest and the Alter Friedhof Park to the northeast. As a result, the city’s main landmark is a driver for this effective use of space as well as the focal point of the view.

The semi-public arcade on the ground floor gives visitors an opportunity to experience the interstitial corridor as a continuation of the route from Ulm’s city center. The corner cafeteria provides a link between the Medienhaus and its neighborhood. On the upper floors, the interstitial corridor provides a hub for communication with attractive, flexible spaces for professional and social interaction. Open staircases connect the departments on different floors with one another, encouraging interdisciplinary and informal exchange. A covered atrium and a landscaped interior courtyard complete the building’s mixed-use core. On the exterior, the load-bearing structure is evident in the columns and architraves across the façade. This emphasis on the horizontal conveys openness and permeability. The mineral surfaces echo those of the surrounding buildings, while the façades of the interior courtyard are clad in a tight grid of wood or wood-metal composite sheathing. On the recessed penthouse level, large timber-framed sliding glass doors frame spectacular views.