TEN DEUTSCHE WERKSTaT TEN DEUTSCHE WERKSTaT

DEUTSCHE
WERKSTaTTEN
Dresden city archives
Deutsche Werkstätten services:Interior design, planning, interior furnishing, outfitting of
interiors with loose furniture
The client entrusted Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau with the interior design and fittings for the new
city archives in Dresden. DWH, having made its own important contributions to Dresden history over
the years, was to have a hand in designing this repository of history. The commission ran the gamut
from conceiving the premises and control system all the way through to the lettering on the office
doors. Both the public areas and the offices are of consistently contemporary standards, the working
conditions thereby permitting virtually no room for compromise. For example, new EU standards for
computer monitor workstations require commensurate shading balanced against ample room
illumination. Deutsche Werkstätten Hellerau met this requirement by employing new,
aluminium-metallised window shades. Practical considerations also tipped the scales in favour of the
choice made for the flooring: all area were laid with industrial oak parquet, able to withstand heavy
traffic and use. A large skylight provides illumination in the reading room, thus giving users optimum
light by which to work. A ceiling height of four metres and the balanced spatial proportions moreover
provide for a pleasant working atmosphere. The wooden floor made of industrial oak parquet
emphasises the work hall ambience. The countertops for the reception desk and in the visitor hall are
custom-made pieces, intentionally understated and muted in colour. Our interior designers saw this
as the only natural solution because an archive enshrines documents, and thus history, managing
them and making them accessible to the public, utterly unconcerned with short-lived trends. That
should also be apparent in its design. The illustrations show different approaches. One of the
substantial design elements here is the wood — the pre-eminent material for Deutsche Werkstätten
Hellerau. From the floors and ceiling beams to the counters and interior fitting elements — similar
materials and colours soften the overall impression. Oak, maple, light grey surfaces, aluminium and
satin finish glass prevail throughout the entire building, occasioning interior fittings which all have the
same —look and feel— — coordinated, practical and timeless. Demure whites, tranquil interiors and
muted colours define the overall impression. Satin finish glass panes in the partitioning walls
between the offices and hallways on the first and second floors not only provide for a brighter
hallway, they also add subtle design flourishes to the area.
Text: Anke Müller
Photos: Lothar Sprenger
Date: 2000
DEUTSCHE
WERKSTaTTEN
Dresden city archives
Deutsche Werkstätten services:Interior design, planning, interior furnishing, outfitting of
interiors with loose furniture
DEUTSCHE
WERKSTaTTEN
Dresden city archives
Deutsche Werkstätten services:Interior design, planning, interior furnishing, outfitting of
interiors with loose furniture
DEUTSCHE
WERKSTaTTEN
Dresden city archives
Deutsche Werkstätten services:Interior design, planning, interior furnishing, outfitting of
interiors with loose furniture
DEUTSCHE
WERKSTaTTEN
Dresden city archives
Deutsche Werkstätten services:Interior design, planning, interior furnishing, outfitting of
interiors with loose furniture
DEUTSCHE
WERKSTaTTEN
Dresden city archives
Deutsche Werkstätten services:Interior design, planning, interior furnishing, outfitting of
interiors with loose furniture
DEUTSCHE
WERKSTaTTEN
Dresden city archives
Deutsche Werkstätten services:Interior design, planning, interior furnishing, outfitting of
interiors with loose furniture
DEUTSCHE
WERKSTaTTEN
Dresden city archives
Deutsche Werkstätten services:Interior design, planning, interior furnishing, outfitting of
interiors with loose furniture
DEUTSCHE
WERKSTaTTEN
Dresden city archives
Deutsche Werkstätten services:Interior design, planning, interior furnishing, outfitting of
interiors with loose furniture