The new Zalando Headquarters consists of an ensemble of two buildings that form the heart of the company?s new campus in Berlin- Friedrichshain, neighboring the ?Mercedes-Benz-Arena? and the East Side Gallery. The design of the seven-story building, accommodating a total of 43,000 m² of office space. Rather than forming a closed block, it assumes an open and transparent presence in the city, creating a striking expression and matching the company?s identity. The wrap-around glass façade which embraces the carved architectural volume like brackets is a fundamental part of the design. It is this reinterpretation of the traditional Berlin block, created by rotating the building layout diagonally to the urban-development plan, that enabled a design solution to be found with which the building unfolds towards the city.
In this way, the interior courtyards shift to the perimeter of the site, enabling a fluid transition between the offices and the public spaces, in turn affording larger views both into and out of the building by virtue of the transparent and translucent facades. The core of the main building is the central atrium, which shifts its openings along its vertical ascension, thus drawing daylight to the public areas below. The central lobby is flanked by a grand staircase with integrated seating and lounge areas which can also be used for events. The atrium in combination with the adjacent auditorium, create a spatial continuum that extends over numerous floors, t...