Clara & Robert

On a corner plot of the former Uhlan barracks in the Derendorf district of Dusseldorf stands the building ensemble Clara & Robert, by sop architekten, which links the two new buildings with the historical Saarhaus. The Wilhelmine barracks, erected in 1890 and currently among the largest remaining barracks facilities in the Rhineland, were given new life through comprehensive renovation and expansion. The Clara & Robert office complex builds on the location’s architectural history, while the preservation of the expressive Saarhaus, which is being integrated into one of the new buildings, restores the link to the former barracks.

The name and inspiration for the two angular, interlocking, L-shaped buildings, which boast around 16,800 m2 of rentable space, were the composer couple Clara and Robert Schumann, who lived in Dusseldorf in the middle of the 19th century. The vertical slits in the polished natural aluminium building envelope recall old perforated-metal music discs used to record sound for mechanical musical instruments around the beginning of the last century. The material’s matte shine lends the façade a discreet reflective quality, allowing the changing light conditions to project a myriad of different moods onto the building. The largely visible yellow-brick façade of the historical Saarhaus is framed by the protruding shell of one of the new buildings. A monolithic Corten steel box, the colour of which samples the old brick, contrasts while expanding the old building by two storeys, thereby establishing architectural relationship with the new complex. The resulting flat-roof construction offers space for attractive rooftop terraces.

The main entrance areas are fronted with an expansive glass façade. All window installations are furnished sun-screening systems. Both 7-storey office buildings possess a flexible floor-plan structure, which guarantees the integration of variously sized rental units. The office space is variably divisible on all floors, and can accommodate all conceivable types of tenants, from individual and group offices to combined-use zones and open spaces. The underground levels, which link the two buildings to one another, are used for technical facilities, storage and a car park with around 300 parking spots. The grounds around the building have been intensively planted and provide space for fully paved access routes and generous driveways. The property’s existing trees that were able to remain were integrated into green islands, emphasising the history of the location.

slapa oberholz pszczulny | sop architekten
Project Leaders: Jürgen Kowald, Daniel Kohlmeyer, Frank Ostrowski

Developer: die developer Projektentwicklung GmbH
General contractor: Dreßler Bau GmbH
Structural engineering: Ing. Büro Wendt
MEP Design Services: K+S Haustechnik Planungsgesellschaft mbH
Structural physics: Graner+Partner Ingenieure
Building site: Institut für Erd- und Grundbau Dr. Thomas Philipsen
Fire protection: Dr. Rainer Jaspers Ingenieur & PrüfConsult
Surveying: Vermessungsbüro Gerd-Joachim Töpfer
Façade consulting: Fassadentechnik IB Wolfgang Willms
Interior architecture: sop architekten (Saarhaus building: entrance, conference, meeting, library, cloakrooms, integrated copy rooms) pro m² (Robert building)
Landscape architecture: Weber Klein Maas Landschaftsarchitekten
Project server: Conclude GmbH
Construction documents: KKP Architekten
Construction documents MEP: Ingenieurbüro Dohrmann GmbH & Co. KG
Executing firm, façade: Sommer Fassadensysteme-Stahlbau-Sicherheitstechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Dachbau Stassfurt, Raßmann Klinkerbetrieb