The complex with a total area of 130,000 m2 consists of a 5-storey basement and an 18-storey tower (93 m) towering above it. The corners of both volumes are smoothly rounded, but if the irregular triangle of the tower plan looks quite restrained, then the numerous protrusions of its base made critics compare it with an amoeba.
With regard to the facades, the situation is exactly the opposite: the walls of the base are covered with gray plaster and are only revived by glazing strips. The tower, on the other hand, received a striking solution in the spirit of Sauerbruch Hutton: the architects “extracted” 22 shades of yellow and orange from the bright yellow ADAC logo and painted 30,000 m2 of the curtain wall of the high-rise building with them.
The bold arrangement of the tower lends dynamism to the composition: it is placed on the very edge of the plinth and even protrudes beyond it, forming a cantilever stem.
ADAC employees have already moved into the new building at the end of December 2011, the grand opening is scheduled for March 2012, but the relationship between the architects and the customer does not set up a festive mood: due to financial disagreements and other problems, Sauerbruch Hatton left the project back in 2009, and their conflict with ADAC is now being considered in court.
N. F.
