Burkard Meyer Wohn- und Geschäftshaus Falken, Baden

Due to its self-confident appearance and ambivalent guise, the residential and office building Falken in Baden succeeds in lending clarity to what is in many respects a neuralgic location. On the one hand, the Schulhausplatz is an extremely busy crossroads, on the other it is a place where, below the ruins of the Stein castle and to the west of the old part of the city, different city structures come together. The building responds to the conditions of the location with a precisely laid-out volume, and its discontinuity makes reference to its surroundings, setting a structural urban accent at the southern entrance of the city. The exterior membrane, reduced to glass and concrete, which is flush with the structure, blankets and transforms it, creating an appearance which, in its tone and reflection, offers new possibilities of perception. Slightly wavy, storey-high textile hangings in the interspace of the building shell provide protection from the sun and add structural depth. Through constant concealment and exposure, a mysteriously playful aspect and constantly changing exterior are created. The curtains are polychromatic, establishing a reference to the stones and colours of the city