A new office building designed by German architecture and design studio JSWD has debuted in Düsseldorf, Germany with a dynamic X-shaped form. Rising six stories above the heart of the city, the curvaceous design dubbed Curve X draws upon local history, balancing a sense of place with a futuristic perspective. “The main source of inspiration for the basic shape of the building was the Düsseldorf cartwheeler,” says JSWD partner Christian Mammel. “It’s a traditional symbol of the city whose origin is recounted in various legends. It can be found, for example, on door handles and on many fountains and manhole covers.”
Large display windows convey openness, while red steel panels and slender pilaster strips animate the facade. The unique shape of the building also establishes three equivalent courtyards that offer green space amid the urban bustle. Stairs, elevators, restrooms, and ancillary rooms are all centrally housed within the building’s core to optimize circulation across four axes. Flexible and sustainable materials adorn interiors and exteriors alike, complete with aluminum ribbons and slats as well as powdercoated aluminum sheets for building cladding. Mammal adds, “This choice of materials further guarantees the longevity of the building, as well as maximum comfort for the users and flexibility for possible future changes in use.”
