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Office First A Lobby for Pollux
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A Lobby for PolluxFrankfurt, 2018

Setting the Stage for a Fresh Future:

A Lobby for Pollux

The brightest star in Gemini. Son of Leda, queen of Sparta, and Zeus, king of the gods. But also the proudest tower on the Frankfurt skyline: the Pollux. With 33 floors, it stands tall at 130 metres – and in this post-Brexit era, it needed to be revitalised and refreshed. The successful rebranding of this famous piece of real estate has been achieved by means of a new lobby, which rivals Greek mythology in terms of dramaturgy: the interior tells of a transition to a new world, a heroic journey through light and shadow, and of a rediscovered identity after metamorphosis.

Tripping the light fantastic

Even Zeus himself could not have hurled his lightning bolts to such spectacular effect as this theatrical light sculpture achieves. By simultaneously dramatizing and structuring the space, the sculpted lighting complements the concentrated clarity of the black-topped reception counter. Light guides the way – not only in legends, but here quite specifically at all points where a visitor enters into a new sphere, such as the elevator. Transformation through reflection is a thematic highlight: Where in film, a mirror is used to symbolise the dawning awareness of a new or hidden self, here mirrors expands the foyer to infinity. Alternating lamellae tell a story from a multitude of perspectives, thus opening up a whole universe of possibilities.

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Special effects for good business

The interplay of wood and mirror on the rear wall acts as a counterpart to the interplay of moods: Different lighting conditions and figures in motion are repeatedly reflected back into the space, taking the visitor on a quasi-cinematic journey. At the same time, this effect gives the hall an unprecedented depth – with very little intervention in the existing architectural structure. In this way, a fitting stage has been built for future-proof business: agile companies from dedicated innovation sectors of the fintech community have now joined existing prestigious names such as Zurich Versicherungen and Lavazza.

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Plans

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Facts & Figures

Client
Office First
Location
Pollux Tower FFM
Status
Completed (2018)
Photo­graphy
Zooey Braun
Team
  • Gunter Fleitz
  • Johannes Hanebuth
  • Hansen Hermawan
  • Peter Ippolito
  • Christian Kirschenmann
  • Melanie Neska
Partner
  • baierl + demmelhuber, General Contractor
  • Drees & Sommer AG, Project Manager
  • pfarré lighting design, Lighting Design
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