The energy rehabilitation and upgrading of the existing building was rejected after a detailed assessment. Following the demolition, a contemporary, sustainable head office building with a gross floor area of 7,973 m2 and 2,902 m2 of usable space is being built on the same site according to the designs of Essen architect Gabor Kovacs. The light-flooded building, consisting of a basement, ground floor and two upper floors, is tailored to the needs of the employees. There is a staff restaurant, a roof terrace and plenty of green spaces for breaks in between.
Prefabricated parts reduce runtime
Before the actual shell construction work could begin, a chiselling excavator had to loosen the rock in the subsoil. After excavating the haunches, lift underpasses and foundations, the foundation and basement were completed. The building construction experts are now working their way up floor by floor until the final deadline in July 2024.
Due to the high groundwater level, the outer walls of the basement were constructed conventionally using watertight in-situ concrete. The construction of the other storeys will combine in-situ concrete work and prefabricated columns. Due to the very tight schedule, filigree walls are used in the interior, and many of the columns and staircases are precast.
The strict environmental regulations of the ‘city by the river’ are also a constant companion on the construction site. Following organoleptic testing, the groundwater was discharged into the public sewage system via sedimentation tanks. In addition, the water compatibility of the hydraulic fluids and lubricants used in the construction site vehicles had to be verified.
