ABSTRACT
Moving from the equatorial latitude of Singapore to that of the Ruhr requires a significant cultural and climatic shift. The Wissenschaftspark in Gelsenkirchen has a gross area of ∼27200m2 and an overall volume of 104550m3. It is near Gelsenkirchen Main Station in Germany's Ruhr district, about midway between Highways 42 and 40, on the site is a former steel mill. The building is comprised of nine three-storey pavilions, each connected to one side of a continuous three-storey gallery some 300m in length, which together provide some 19200m2 of office and laboratory accommodation (Figure 5.1). A full-height 10m-wide glazed arcade is on the other side of the gallery, and parking for ∼180 cars is provided in the basement area underneath (Plate 6andFigure 5.2). One of the many projects commissioned by the IBA Emscher Park, as a means of revitalising the industrial base of the Ruhr, this one commenced construction in 1992, reaching completion 3 years later (Jones, 1998).
