In mid-February 2021 a proposal for the design of the atrium was submitted for the art-for-architecture competition of the Federal Police Headquarters in Potsdam. Under the title “Verschiedene Aufgaben – gemeinsames Ziel” (Various Tasks – A Common Goal), painting of the balustrades that surround the stairwell was proposed.
of the staircase
21-03-001
of the staircase
21-03-002
staircase
21-03-003
The stair sculpture is not merely the essential feature of the atrium but the great distinguishing feature of the building. On the principle of a cascade, it makes an evident connection between the storeys. It unifies the space and lends consistency to the function of the building. This significance of the stair sculpture is reinforced by the artistic concept. The principle of the cascade is transferred to the balustrades that encompass the stairwell. Here a consistent visual structure is continued from one floor level to another and adapts to the diagonal orientation of the stairs. The intensification of the colouring – towards the stairs – emphasizes the ascending flights. The fundamental idea of the visual structure is the variety of the tasks of the police, which for all their diversity possess a common direction: the direction that is taken when using the stairs (the direction of the whole – the work is directed to common goals). The colour plan is based on blue, the colour of the Federal Police uniform.