Landeskriminalamt NRW - Düsseldorf

This 60.000 m² scheme draws together for the first time the various departments, offices and laboratories of the North-Rhine Westphalia Land Office of Criminal Investigation, housing them under one roof and comprising one of the largest projects in the region. The structure is internally divided into three separate blocks of accommodation, each of which is organised around a generous internal courtyard. Despite high-security requirements, the building is characterised by a remarkable sense of openness and transparency. A spacious glazed entrance area visually connects the internal courtyards with the street and all parts of the building are linked by a connecting internal street, running diagonally through the structure and decorated with a specially-commissioned artwork by Peter Kogler. The scheme incorporates a host of sustainable strategies including geothermal, natural ventilation and activation of the thermal mass of the building for heating and cooling purposes. These measures have achieved extremely low running costs and offer significant savings on the EnEV statutory requirements for primary energy use (28% for the offices and 39% for the lab building). In addition, Gatermann + Schossig’s design has achieved a significant reduction in the floor and facade areas projected by the initial brief while producing a distinctive building of exemplary efficiency.