Schott has completed the addition of a 3,500 sq.m. glass faade on its headquarters. The 45-year-old administrative building at the company“s main headquarters in Mainz, Germany, has been renovated an…
Schott has completed the addition of a 3,500 sq.m. glass faade on its headquarters. The 45-year-old administrative building at the company“s main headquarters in Mainz, Germany, has been renovated and expanded over 15 months, in a project coordinated by Frankfurt-based JSK Architects. The original external faade of the administrative building has been integrated into the atrium area and the new glass faade has been glazed up to a height of 3.0 metres using Amiran, a special-purpose glass with an anti-reflective coating on both sides. Thanks to a low level of reflection, this architectural glass appears to be almost invisible and brings a great deal of light into the building. The flat roof of the atrium is formed with 300 sq.m. of semi-transparent ASI THRU thin-film photovoltaic modules from Schott Solar. These modules cover a share of the electrical power needs while enabling sunlight to pass through, also offering protection against thermal overheating as a result of direct sunlight. Our intention was to create a representative corporate headquarters that focuses on glass as the main building material in modern transparent architecture, said Frank Bollmann, head of real estate management at Schott. With respect to the interior design as well, we gave special attention to transparency and designing open, modern offices. Another objective was to bring together the central group functions at a single location, which were previously spread across various sites. The new office complex has resulted in 5,000-12,000 sq.m. more gross floor space, while a fourth and a fifth floor have been added and a new glass building built on the side that faces the street. The building complex also consists of a reception area, spacious team zones, individual offices and conference rooms. Another ecological component is that of the water that comes from the plant“s groundwater well, which flows through the floor of the atrium and thus helps regulate the building climate, and thus saves energy.