A-Town High, Augsburg

The University District of Augsburg will soon be home to one of Europe’s largest innovation hubs, where the focus is on creating synergies between research, development and manufacturing. As part of the overall master plan, this competition brief was for a high-rise with office space and serviced apartments that excels in both architectural form and practical function. The new building is one of three high-rises defining the skyline of the so-called “Augsburg Innovationspark".

We designed A-Town High as a transparent, seemingly permeable high-rise clad entirely in glass, a visual rendering of the enormous communication and networking possibilities in the Augsburg Innovationspark. As the core element of the design, this idea of “permeability” continues in the interior. The open-plan layout arranges all of the functional space around an interior courtyard, where the occupants themselves as well as students, faculty and the hub’s innovators will find a forum for social interaction and lively exchange. To facilitate direct connections across short distances, the open riser staircases between levels all face the courtyard. These vertically interlocking spaces culminate in a roof garden that is open to everyone working or staying in the building. Each level can be configured as needed, for collaborative workspaces with no barriers to communication as well as furnished apartments or co-living spaces for short and long-term stays. One striking feature of the design is the blue glass façade on the parking levels, providing a stark contrast to the muted color palette and ordered geometry of the other levels.