The new high-contrast building docks onto the former residential building, and with a dramatic design vocabulary it consciously distinguishes itself from the classic style. The change of use to a family office and central archive calls for pinpoint intervention to preserve the spirit of the house and provide additional space.
Dr Max-Näder House, Duderstadt
The Dr Max Näder House in Duderstadt is an intriguing ensemble consisting of an impressive new building and a completely renovated existing building. Its architecture is a marriage of tradition and precision, and embodies the unique and distinct characteristics of the Otto Bock Company, global market leader in prosthetics and orthotics. To date, the locally-based company has been managed across the generations by the Näder family.
At its headquarters to the north of the mediaeval town centre, the Dr Max Näder House reminds us of the long-time active and committed senior head and honorary citizen of the town. The centre, opened in 2015, is a prestigious focal point and a place for meeting and exchange far beyond the borders of Duderstadt.
The collective memory of the business dynasty is located in the central archive in the basement, which partly extends into the slope. The above-ground section offers space for cultural events, conferences and exhibitions. With a dramatic design vocabulary, the new building consciously distinguishes itself from the classic style of the old building.
The low-rise building with its three-dimensional folded and flanged sheet metal façade and extensive glazing enters into an appealing interaction with the existing structure. The change of use of the residence to a family office called for careful, pinpoint intervention to preserve the spirit of the late 1940s-built house and give it added space.
