Ambigon office and business building in Munich

Transparency in detail: doors for property installation

Particularly doors in upmarket buildings that are visited by lots of people must be stable, durable and aesthetically pleasing. An ideal example of this is the new Ambigon office and business building in Munich. Here, those responsible for the project work in close cooperation with the element manufacturer (Teckentrup, Verl). This optimises the planning process including determination of the structural engineering calculation.

At around 15,500 square metres of floor space, the large project includes offices, medical practices, a medical care unit, a café, a pharmacy and supermarkets on the basement floor. There are passageways on top of that, such as hallways, galleries and staircases. The Ambigon has a bright architecture that is flooded with light: with its generous ribbon windows, even the façade indicates that daylight is wanted inside the building. Even right in the core of the building, glass remains a key construction material.

This is particularly notable in the atrium: it has a glass ceiling that channels the daylight right down to ground level. Galleries (some of which are glazed right down to the floor) surround the atrium; these allow a direct view into the central hall and carry the sun to all the levels. Armin Willmes reports: “In these elements, an ornate frame construction has been reproduced in the form of glazing that prevents anyone from falling down from the galleries”. As the Teckentrup partner responsible for the project, he helped to coordinate the installation of the doors and gates and took care of the structural engineering calculation along with the planners.

The highly transparent construction of the doors continues throughout the whole building: Slender steel frames in Black Grey (RAL 7021) contain all-glass doors – where necessary widened using a fixed-glass element. The technical finesse is hardly noticeable to the naked eye. Willmes said: “Naturally, the doors conform to all the relevant building regulations, such as those concerning fire and smoke protection”. The system (Fuego light) blends seamlessly into both the office and medical practice parts of the building and into the supermarket areas. The entrance to the meat counter is formed by a three-piece space divider that is equipped with top lights.

Functionally closed: with roller shutters

The sales areas in the basement areas require more than just doors – supply entrance and other large thoroughfares are better served by gates. The aesthetics only play a peripheral role here. Functional aspects are to be taken more greatly into consideration. Willmes added: “As a complete provider we were able to supply everything from one source – in this case it was roller shutters of the ‘ThermoTeck’ type”.