Sächsische Aufbaubank
ACME's proposal for the SAB develops the traditional typology of a bank as an imposing institution representing stability, permanence and strength into a contemporary design for a bank of the 21st century. The traditional columns, acting as a transition between inside and outside, have been dissolved into a forest of supports carrying an overarching roof that covers the entirety of the site. Beneath this roof, a number of spaces are new public routes, and spaces are created like clearings in a forest, inviting inhabitation and passage. This open, partially green space recalls the site's past as part of Leipzig's pleasure gardens: acres of formal gardens with long, sweeping avenues, down which the city's residents strolled together on balmy summer evenings in the 18th century.
The columns and roof provide a sense of visual and acoustic enclosure towards the adjacent highway and integrate shading and passive cooling functions for the office spaces. This allows the offices to be open and transparent towards the new public space, creating an efficient, yet loose array of stacked and overlapping office floor-plates to accommodate the many differing departments of the SAB.
Location: Leipzig
Type: Office
Phase: LP 1-5, Artisitc Supervision 6-8
Status: Completion 2022
Architects: Acme Architects
Engineering: Knippers Helbig
Team: Friedrich Ludewig, Heidrun Schuhmann, Tim Laubinger, Dirk Mueller, Philipp Mecke