projects | Viabizzuno progettiamo la luce

the special feature of the commission and the special location of bhf-bank, which is situated in the heart of frankfurt near the former opera house, are the two decisive factors in the project for the new ‘private banking' area. the bank buildings were designed and implemented in the sixties by sep ruf, one of the most famous german architects of the post-war period. the complex includes three buildings: the hall, the connecting central building and the 23-storey building. the central building develops along oberlindau straße, marking the separation from rothschild park. a wide access street on the oberlindau leads to the main entrance that opens on the hall and gives access to the single floors of the central building by lift. the entire reception area must be reorganised in the framework of the project for the new private banking area that will occupy the ground floor and the mezzanine floor of the central building. the new area will accommodate offices and meeting rooms, and it could also be the venue of small corporate receptions and events. the new access area shall be a large reception and transit area with no disturbing construction elements. a transparent screen system leads both visitor and client to the spacious reception area. the counter at the entrance meets the demanded functional criteria, while also playing a key role in spatial distribution by linking the reception area and the new private banking hall. full height glazing ensures climatic separation between the reception section and the hall, and between the entrance and the new private banking hall. a set of vertical tiles with full height glass inserts rationally divides the new customer area in the new private banking hall. vertical wooden tiles define the space and separate the meeting rooms from the hall. like a second skin, they are essential dividing elements that also achieve an open space effect, thus creating the desired continuity between the indoor and outdoor framework. the customer hall itself is both a reception area and a waiting room. a wide spiral staircase, a genuine work of art, connects the ground floor to the first floor that hosts most of the consulting offices. the partition walls of the corridor are made of glass and wood. the walls dividing the single rooms are made of plasterboard with built-in glass modules. the central area has been extended and two arcades located beside the spiral staircase will link the ground floor to the first floor. hence the two floors will be both functionally and spatially connected. light plays an essential role as both furnishing element and spatial divider. three large circular openings in the ceiling hold lighting systems that have been specially designed by Viabizzuno to create a balanced and highly impressive lighting setting in the room and also to endow rooms with spatial continuity, consistently with the project concept. these special lightwells drop down from the ceiling lightly and impressively, merging with huge volumes of light that mark the hall's spatial rhythm. the recessed ceiling light fittings, instead, have been positioned to enhance the height and rhythm of the wall-mounted tiles, thus highlighting the importance of light for the room. besides the special importance of the place, the effect of the new ‘private banking' sector is especially created by the interaction between man, light, room and matter. from the floor plan to single elements, the project expresses formal simplicity both concerning the concept of space and the choice of materials. the ‘private banking' sector creates new spatial relations and continuity between the indoor and outdoor framework, highlighting the importance of the place.