POLE NORD
| Typologie | bureaux |
| Lieu | Luxembourg (LU) |
| SCB | 2.500 m² |
| Volume | 10.300 m³ |
| Budget | 10 million |
| Durée du projet | 2006-2008 |
| Partner | AU21 |
| Photographe | Joerg Hempel, Aix |
For this project, we designed the new Head-office of the Invik Bank in Luxembourg. The historic building was known to the people of Luxembourg City under the name of “Pole Nord”. First it was used as a hotel, later during World War II it became a cabaret. Because of our philosophy towards the old we chose to continue the new building as “Pole Nord” and to merge it into a unique concept.
The appearance of the building transports through its shapes and color scheme the metaphor of ice blocks that seem to break out of the main façade. Printed icicles on the double cladding amplify the unitary white color scheme and add a certain variety of layers that help to create a discreet natural elegance. Its eaves left equal to its neighbors, the project perfectly integrates into the streetscape.
In order to sharpen the image of massive ice blocks, the ground floor is designed as a dark pedestal. The main façade is designed using a double cladding in order to reduce overheating during summer and heat loss in winter. Air-handling ceilings help to maximize the room comfort in the office spaces.
Entering the building, the “POLE NORD” appears everywhere: the core with its glass elevator and polygonal openings, the crossed lighting on the ceiling resembling breaking ice floes and the consequent white color scheme bring the reproduction of an arctic environment to perfection. The restrooms with their ‘scratched’ glass screens seem to be directly cut out of the ice.
The upper floors containing office surfaces are organized around the central elevator and stairways. The use of removable glass screens keeps their arrangement flexible and reversible on a long term. Communication and interaction between the associates is being pushed by the common areas in the central area of the building.
