Workshop for People with Disabilities (with 3 Courtyards) Architecture: studio. Lot + Opposite Office + Hanfstingl Architekten

The new 10,000 m² workshop for people with disabilities, offering 120 workplaces and an integrated support facility, combines high technical requirements with a strong sense of social responsibility. It creates an inclusive working environment with spaces for document destruction (shredding with vertical shafts across all three floors), carpentry, metalworking, and other skilled activities. At the same time, the building provides a welcoming, light-filled atmosphere that fosters community and participation.

Three distinct courtyards – a triangle, a square, and a circle – structure the building and bring daylight deep into its 50-meter floorplate. Beyond serving as points of orientation, the courtyards function as places of encounter and exchange, forming a calm, introverted outdoor space amidst the industrial surroundings of Am Oberfeld, located between a federal highway and a railway line.

A particular asset of the project is the creation of additional communal areas that were not part of the original spatial program. Through efficient planning with four sculptural external staircases and a compact circulation ring, both the roof terrace and the central communal zone between the courtyards were realized without additional cost. These added spaces form the heart of the workshop, encouraging encounters and offering room for social interaction.

The architecture emphasizes openness and transparency: large surfaces and numerous visual connections invite interaction with others. Circular windows and portholes in the doors provide glimpses into the different work areas, reinforcing a shared sense of community.

Robust materials such as steel, concrete, wood, and multiwall polycarbonate panels give the building a functional and resilient workshop character. Due to technical requirements (column-free workshop spaces and circulation of pallet trucks and forklifts), the main structure was built in reinforced concrete. In terms of energy, the building is supplied with district heating from the neighboring carpentry workshop and with photovoltaic systems. From the roof terrace, employees can look into the landscaped courtyards with growing trees (photographs to follow in summer), while blue furniture provides places for rest and social interaction.

This workshop is far more than a place of work. It is a space of participation, self-determination, and social exchange, one that places the needs of people with disabilities at the center and creates a pleasant and empowering working environment.