Behnisch Architekten has completed the new office and reception building Adidas World of Sports Arena, marking the main entrance of Adidas’ headquarters campus in Herzogenaurach, Germany. With a sculptural shape emphasizing the group’s passion for sports, the Adidas Arena welcomes visitors to the headquarters with a strong visual identity, which is illustrated in its expressive, functional architecture.
In a balanced interplay between landscape, transparency, and a modern concept, Behnisch Architekten has set up a striking landmark within the Adidas World of Sports campus, which is formed by an abstract volume housing three workspace floors as well as hovers above a modeled landscape. This sculpted hill accommodates the entrance area of the building, part of which is publicly accessible, leading to a vast atrium suitable for many events.
Within the bright atrium, a dramatic floating staircase forms the heart of the building to take employees up to the three-story workspace section. With a total floor area of 52,000m2, the Arena building provides about 2,000 employees with modern and sustainable workspace organized on organic, flexible principles. The 3 levels are connected, both horizontally and vertically, through the main street, resembling a marketplace suspended in mid-air. On each floor, the main street is adjoined by 6 kitchen hubs that represent 6 key cities characterized by distinctive colors, materials, and types of furnishing in order to form individual addresses within the building. Work areas differentiate with areas for formal or informal meetings and recreational zones, organized as variegated clusters around lightwells of various sizes optimized in order to supply ample natural light.
The Arena’s façade incorporates a particularly developed shading system and sun control adapted to the orientation of each elevation, optimizing the interplay between maximum light transmittance. Thanks to its extensive use of recyclable materials and implementation of up-to-date energy-efficiency standards, the Arena has been submitted for LEED gold certification.