Set in a pastoral, densely wooded site, the KNP Headquarters comprises two interconnected structures that serve the diverse needs of this major European technology and communications company.
The two-story office volume floats on pilotis along one side of the site, providing a generous quantity of prime office space, while an independent cubic volume houses reception space, restaurants, a conference room and a lecture hall. The composition of the two buildings is precisely organized around two intersecting corridors: one runs northwest-southeast and is serviced directly by the elevator and mechanical core, while the other, running northeast-southwest, affords access to offices on either side. This office corridor is a continuous double-height, top-lit space, establishing an internal unity across the structure.
The office slab features a sophisticated facade design which establishes a dynamic syncopation by playing with the contrast between the freestanding cylindrical columns that are the building’s primary structural system and the projecting concrete blades of the spandrel wall.