The Zollverein School
SANAA

Photo © Thomas Mayer

The Zollverein School of Management & Design, inaugurated on July 31, 2006, is the first new building on the historical coal-mining Zollverein site; declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001.

The design, a cuboid structural shell, picks up the basic functional and effective idea used by the original Zollverein architects Schupp and Kremmer.

The oversized cube, which measures 35 meters by 35 meters and is 35 meters high, reflects the dimensions of the Zollverein mine.

Photo: arcspace

Our aim was to achieve transparency in the concrete structure.
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Photo: arcspace

We wanted to design a simple cubic building to compliment the existing buildings and achieve continuity within the site.
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Photo: arcspace
The seemingly coincidental organization of the openings, windows in three different sizes, create an unusual interaction with the surroundings and the interior.

We have made many big openings in the facades to create different daylight situations inside the building. The position of the windows are defined by the interior programs. By varying the ceiling heights each floor has a very different atmosphere.
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photo © Thomas Mayer

photo © Thomas Mayer

photo © Thomas Mayer

photo © Thomas Mayer

photo © Thomas Mayer

photo: arcspace

photo: arcspace

photo © Thomas Mayer

photo © Thomas Mayer

Photo © Thomas Mayer

Photo: arcspace