Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration

In central Wiesbaden, Max Dudler has revitalised one of the few architecturally outstanding buildings of the first wave of post-war modernism in the city and adapted it for use as a ministry building. After a detailed analysis, the main building of the tripartite ensemble was restored according to heritage building guidelines. The ground floor was stripped of its subsequent additions and the entire façade was returned to its original design. The historical main stairwell was restored as befitting a listed building.  In order to meet the modern requirements for a government building, the northern part of the structure was completely dismantled and replaced by a new-build that consciously translates the architecture of the fifties into a contemporary context, thus emphasising the character of the entire ensemble. The light-coloured façade made of Jura limestone creates a link to the natural stone façade and rhythmic structure of the original building. Between vertical pilaster strips, the parapets, each three windows wide, form a deep relief façade. The slightly set back top storey echoes the staggered storey of the original building.

With its characteristic single-pitched roofs, the contrast between closed and filigree fenestrated natural stone façades and the staggered storeys, the listed building, together with its complementary additions, constitutes the first building block in the developing city district of Kureck in Wiesbaden.