Where tradition meets the future: Pipes have been manufactured in Dusseldorf’s Rath district since 1899 and today Vallourec’s 1,700-strong workforce still produces some 8,000 tonnes of tubular steel destined primarily for pipelines and power plants every day. When the pipe specialist wanted a new headquarters building right next to its factory site on Theodorstraße, the property owners Hoberg & Driesch commissioned sop | architekten to design and build a future-proof building to fit snugly into the available space.

The basic design idea – simple and self-evident – was to create a meander-like structure with a space-saving floor plan that would create the basis for a contemporary and economically efficient five-storey office block. The clear design language is carried right through to the façade to create a structure that is self-assured and open. Shortly after its completion, the headquarters building was joined by a research centre – Vallourec’s own development campus.