Eller + Eller Architekten

2004-2006; NFA 5.800 m²

The nursing home "Horstmann Haus Ruhrort" is part of a building complex in Duisburg-Ruhrort, which had been commissioned by the Haniel Company to Eller + Eller Architekten in 2003.
One of the main issues was keeping the smaller scale of both the built environment and the historical road layout. The ensemble is consequentially divided in three free-standings units: an office building with subterranean parking lot ("Business Center Ruhrort", completed), a medical center ("Medical Center Ruhrort", under construction) and the nursing home with integrated kindergarten ("Horstmann Haus Ruhrort", completed) – all of them built in several construction stages.

Only along the Vinckeplatz and Dr. Hammacher-Straße, stronger facades keep the urban grid, whereas other zones step down in volume in order to mediate to the existing residential area towards the West.
The nursing home also respects the already established urban view corridors – by the so-called "thousand window house", as well as the medical and the business center. It is situated along Dr. Hammacher-Straße, and the Lshaped building intentionally integrates a kindergarten next to the elderly community. A concave semi-circle opens the building to the park towards the South West, allowing views to the remarkable tree population.

All three buildings are visually linked by a natural stone façade, against a somewhat heterogeneous neighbouring context. Setback windows within the façade give an additional three-dimensional accentuation.

A central, multi-storey patio allows daylight to pour into a central communication zone, making it also to a comfortable waiting and lounge area.
Handicapped and non-handicapped children are living together in the kindergarten, whereas in the floors above, the elderly are also sharing some communal spaces, combined to specially designed apartments.

The exchange between generations, between disabled and others, was always a strong part of the concept – also shown e.g. in peepholes between kindergarten and elderly or by the therapeutic garden layouts.

1994 / 2005-2008
working phase 1-3; GFA ca. 368.000 m²

The high-rise office center near the Kutuzovskaya metro station will modify the face of the Kutuzovsky Prospekt, now dominated by Stalin-era buildings. Consisting of two 43-story twin towers, each 212 meters tall with curved corners, and a group of nine-story buildings, the complex will feature a pedestrian zone with shops, restaurants, a fitness center, a conference center and a hotel. At their base is a plaza with water pools, benches and plants for the 20,000 employees in the buildings. An internal ‘Boulevard’ connects all buildings. The office towers will help modernize this section of Kutuzovsky Prospekt while respecting the dimensions and materials of the street.

The "city within a city" is a counterpart to the "Moscow City" on the other side of the river.
The site is located in the western part of Moscow, at the intersection of the third ring and the Kutuzovsky Prospekt. The 264,000 m² are located in seven independent structures which are situated on a joint basement garage and grouped along three sides of a central square. On either side of this structure there are Ushaped office buildings featuring spacious interior halls. A shopping mall connecting the buildings parallel to the third ring on the level of the square provides protection against the weather. A number of cinemas, restaurants, snack bars etc. help to ensure that the complex is busy outside office hours, too.

Except for the highrise buildings, all components are based on an 8.10m/8.10m grid. The standard building depth of 18 meters allows all forms of office organization. There is a standard floor-to-floor height of 5.0 meters on the ground floor and of 4.0 meters on the upper stories. The building along the Kutuzovsky Prospekt has a building-high hall with glazed roof, steel bridges and staircase and ten stories. The facade is post-and-rail facade with parapet element and opening casements, interior sun screen. The highrise buildings are reinforced concrete framework with reinforcing cores and mounted facade. The facade is a fixed-glazed element facade with parapet element but not equipped with opening casements or interior sun screening system.

2007-2011
GFA     approx. 17.000 m²


The small Ski resort ‘Stepanovo’ is situated approximately 70 km north of the Moscow city centre, in close neighbourhood to the well-established ski resort ‘Volen’ – and amidst a picturesque and widely unspoiled hilly landscape.
In the next years, the ski area, following its close-by counterpart, is envisioned to develop into a high-end sport resort, offering hotels and restaurants of different categories, and stimulating the stressed-out Muscovites, for winter as well as for summer activities.
A Sports hotel and various sport and service areas are grouped around a village centre plaza, whereas a Spa hotel is a little setback, offering stunning views into the landscape. It is clearly focused on recreation and relaxation. Adjacent to the hotel, private cottages provide privacy with full hotel service.

2006-2011
under construction
GFA     110.000 m²


The Headquarters for Siemens AG and AFK Sistema Gals, which are currently under construction, are situated in the North-West of Moscow directly at the Leningradsky Prospekt, one of the big radial highways to the inner city, next to the Gorbatschow-Foundation.

The high-class office development consists of two 27-story 110 m high towers, each placed in a corner of a five-story podium building. The footprint of each tower measures 35 x 35 m. The towers contain mainly offices. The ‘class A’-building will have a gross floor area of approx. 110.000 m² for office use, special uses and parking.

Areas for the 2-story entrance lobbies, cafeteria, VIP restaurant, office services and conference rooms are located around a 19 m high glass covered atrium in the podium building with a view to the close-by public park.
The Building-complex will also hold a five-level parking garage with 700 places.

2007-2011
under construction
GFA    308.800 m²
Height       192 m =  46 floors
Use        apartments, shoppingmall, Sport facilities, restaurants, offices, parking


The building is commissioned by the Mirax group, one of the most important real estate investors in Russia. Mirax is acting worldwide and is also responsible for the highest building in Europe, the Federation Tower in Moscow, which is currently under construction.
The investor had been specifically looking for a Western (German) architect, to take full advantage of the reputation of German engineering in all of the CIS, but also to establish a different design language.
 
Both high-rise buildings are located in an inner-city valley. Office floors are designed according to western standards (class A), and will be organised in various patterns (open space, individual cells, think tanks and spacious conference areas).
Beside of these office spaces, a five-story shopping mall with sport facilities, pool and restaurants will be integrated, as well as 6 subterranean parking floors.
The mall will be positioned between both towers, forming a connecting link between the two. On the 41st to the 42nd floor, sky bars are foreseen, offering panoramic views across the city.
The upper floors of the high-rise buildings are reserved for high-end luxurious condominiums with a top quality fit-out. All of them are offering individual roof terraces.

The footprint of the towers describes two segments of a circle, which are, slightly shifted, grouped around a central elevator and staircase lobby.
A similar vivid figure is described in the vertical: Staggered floors and the curvature of the facades are creating a dynamic impression.

Both towers are accessed via a spacious, two-story, 12 m high atrium.
The façade features mainly glass elements, a fact which is not at all common in Kiev’s architecture. Both towers offer helicopter landings on their rooftops.

Beside of the usual western energy standards, special attention is given to geothermic energy.

2004-2007
GFA 22.500 m²

The rapid expansion of Metro’s cash & carry markets in Russia urgently called for a Moscow-based central administrative center for approximately 700 employees.
As a site, the area where the MCC market Moscow 1 has already been built, was chosen, as it is infrastructural connected to the Mainline to the North-West and located adjacent to an anabranch of the Moskwa.

The planned office center is situated in the southern part of the property, between the already existing market and the protected banks of the Moskwa anabranch.
The new premises are conceptually divided into two parallel, slightly shifted building parts -Building A as 2-band type with 6 stories, building B as 3-band with 5 stories. Both parts are linked by a central Glass Hall at their intersection. The one-story restaurant and kitchen area is added towards the South.
The building is approached from the parking lot of the MCC market, with access from the north side. 99 subterranean parking spots are provided in the first basement.

Special areas, such as Restaurant/ Kitchen, Auditorium and Showrooms are grouped around the central Foyer on the Ground Floor. With its glass elevators, connecting bridges and representative stairs, the main Hall is developed as a three-dimensional locus of distribution and communication.
The conference and social spaces of the office floors are also linked to the Hall, so that lively activities throughout the building can be witnessed not only during rush hours.
The typical office floors are perceived as generous and light with their glass partition walls -allowing wide and unobstructed views through space.

In emphasizing the floor slabs, the facades are visually divided in a mainly horizontal way. The full-height facade elements are totally glazed with the exception of a small parapet.

1998-2003

The extension of the German Historical Museum in Berlin provides several galleries for alternating exhibitions as well as workshop areas, situated adjacent to the existing museum administration. A spacious, four-storey glass hall links both parts with various bridges, platforms and a sculptural spiral stair. The inner courtyard of the baroque armory, the "Zeughaus" had been covered with a shallow glass cupola to allow year-round use.

The challenge was the integration on a small and difficult downtown site, largely hidden from view but occupying a key location on an important pedestrian route to Museum Island: The goal was to animate this historic precinct with new activity. The new building is an addition to the 18th-century armory on the opposite side of an historic alley, which had to be kept open. In consequence, both buildings are only linked underground and the alley, called "Hinter dem Zeughaus", was converted into a pedestrian corridor.
Transparency, movement, and light are the means by which the new building invites public participation. The entire front facade is wrapped in glass so that interior activities are put on display. The stair tower plays an important role in this urban theater since it is the only part of the extension visible from a distance. In thus, beckoning people closer and encouraging them to enter. Once inside, the glass facades present dramatic views of the historic context: Schinkel's Neue Wache especially is brought into focus, as well as the long obscured fourth facade of the Zeughaus.

The project is housed within stone walls that complement the neighboring buildings. Galleries are located on the main level underground where the new building is linked to the existing museum, at grade level where a second entrance opens to the street, and also on levels three and four. Visitors are enticed to explore the museum by constantly changing perspectives as they rise to each floor by different means of vertical circulation: first an escalator, then a monumental stair, and finally the glazed spiral stair, offering indoor and outdoor views in all directions as it rotates up to the top floor.

international competition 2010, 1st prize
2010-2013
planning phase

Client: confidential
GFA: 20.000 m²

Urban setting
The International Banking Institute (IBI) University is located between a residential block to the North and an adjacent shopping complex on the Southern site line.
The university building opens up to a public square, which is framed by the IBI Banking center and a Hotel/Shopping mall.
The East side of the square is defined by a Metallistov street, where public transport and parking is provided.

Building concept
The private university, with is internal organisation is developed as a series of double height spaces, which accommodate a generous circulation and public functions like foyer, lounges, recreational spaces, library etc.

The succession of these spaces spiral up throughout the building, with educational areas and work stations attached, allowing visual and spatial connections throughout the inner layout. Insights to seminar rooms and lecture halls make the academic operations transparent to visitors and students. At the same time, these double-heights spaces also have their imprints on the facades, where large openings allow outside views into the building, emphasizing the teaching process to the by-passers.

Functional organisation
The Ground floor hosts the most important public functions like foyer, refectory and the main auditorium. Towards the side street on the Western side, a dormitory is provided.
Sport facilities and parking areas are located on the underground floors.

The upper levels are dedicated to the educational spaces like seminar and computer rooms, lecture halls and staff offices, the latter mainly placed along the façade, taking advantage of natural lighting.
The lecture halls, the pulsing heart of academic life, are placed in the middle of the building with public spaces floating around them. The translucency of their walls enhances their visual presence in the whole building.
The last two floors are mainly assigned to administrational use, although the library extends into them, as a continuation of the educational spaces below.
Offices follow a flexible grid, allowing cell offices as well as open plan layouts.

Façade and materiality
The façade is characterized by its tectonic impression of stone slabs and columns, alternating with larger panels. A rigid grid is avoided, so that through the difference from floor to floor the building develops a more playful and dynamic appearance.

The double-height public spaces, the backbone of the internal organisation, can be sensed from the outside: their facade is accentuated as carved out spaces, where a  light-structured glass façade opens to inside.

planning phase
2010-2014

Client: European Business School and the State of Hessen
GFA: 37.000 m²

The new building for the German Law School / EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht will be located in the historic inner center of the regional capital of Wiesbaden. Framed by Moritzstrasse, Albrechtstrasse and Oranienstrasse, the design is developed as an extension to the existing, former municipal court building

Urban layout
The new building mirrors the three-wing set up of the existing court building solitaire and will complete the homogeneous block structure of the urban context. The resulting inner courtyard will be become an internal campus of the university.
With the symmetric extension of the court building and the adoption of the existing floor heights, a ringwise, barrier-free circulation is established.
The thinner side wings, in elongation of the old building, are designed for typical office use, whereas in the deeper, southern wing, along Albrechtstrasse, special use units, like library, lecture halls and work stations are positioned.

Inner Layout
Strolling along Moritzstrasse, the glass foyer allows deep insights into the courtyard and the inner layout of the building. On Ground floor, next to this main entrance, a public use lecture hall and several event spaces, both linked to the refectory, are located. The refectory itself opens up along towards the courtyard.
The foyer is spatially connected to the so-called ‘market place’, a central communication space where students, visitors and business companies can meet. Exhibition space for company presentations, conferences etc. presents, at the same time, the necessary circulation area for the big lecture halls. The floor above is mainly dedicated to educational use, with more lecture halls, work stations and offices for the various chairs.
The library with its secluded working atmosphere is positioned on the level +3, next to the seminar rooms. The University board then resides on the upper floors, with access to wide roof terraces, offering panoramic views to the surroundings.
All floors are connected via open stairs along the longitudinal axis, where large open areas with special uses create an internal, spatial coherence allowing insights to inner operational sequences or views to the courtyards
 
Facades
The larger part of the facade is constructed with a stick system, based on a 1,35 m grid, where fully glazed and opaque panels are alternating. Arranged in front is a structure made of large, prefabricated stone fins, which can also carry the necessary sunshade structures.
The Foyer and few other special areas are fully glazed with triple glazing elements.