Casino Esscom 1

Between 2000 and 2001, a casino with an integrated conference centre was built in Hanau-Wolfgang on the premises of Degussa AG. The name of the building - Esscom - stands for "food" and "communication". The building was also intended to embody the change from the traditional, externally closed "factory site" to the modern, open "industrial park" in its architectural design. The idea is to assign different uses to clear geometric basic forms and their interlocking. The triangle with its open, two-storey glazed entrance front accommodates the foyer, cafeteria and dining area. The conference centre above is accessed via a generous staircase. The two central rooms of the building, the dining hall and the lecture hall above, are round to emphasize the communicative aspect of these uses. The closed, unobtrusively designed rectangular structure takes up the "serving" functions of kitchen, storage and technical rooms.