Spiegel HQ EN

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a media house in Hamburg

description

Magazine on Spiegel's headquarters in Hamburg designed by Henning Larsen Architects.

Transcript of Spiegel HQ EN

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a media house in Hamburg

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The spacious, light-bathed architecture supports the editing, documentation and publishing work processes; it will provide space for both concentration and communication. ” Mathias Schmolz DIRECTOR OF THE SPIEGEL GROUP

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SPIEGEL HQ Henning Larsen Architects, November 2011

Photos Cordelia Ewerth: 19, 20-21, 22, 26-27, 29, 31, 32-33, 35 Andreas Gehrke, Spiegel: 1, 2-3, 12-13

Renders, plans and sections Henning Larsen Architects A/S

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Contents

• THE VISION - A WINDOW TO THE WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07

• AN OPEN INVITATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

- Interview with Architect, Partner and Director Louis Becker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• AN ICON IN HAFENCITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 • SPIEGEL HQ ADDS VALUE TO THE ENTIRE CITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 - Interview with Architect and Project Manager Klaus Troldborg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• AN ACTIVE MEETING PLACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

• THE MEETING BETWEEN WORLDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

- Interview with Lead Architect, interior design, Martha Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

- Sustainable Gold Medal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

• BEHIND THE PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

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THE VISION

The vision was to create a mod-ern media house for Spiegel’s em-ployees and the surrounding city. An icon of high international standards with focus on openness, communi-cation and transparency” Louis Becker, DIRECTOR AND PARTNER, HENNING LARSEN ARCHITECTS

- a window to the world

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Spiegel is one of the largest media houses in Europe and with its new headquarters in Hamburg, the Spiegel Group has got one of the most prominent locations in the new urban quarter of HafenCity by the Elbe.

For more than 40 years, the world-known news magazine, Der Spiegel, has been located in Brandstwiete, Hamburg, in a building very much characterised by Verner Panton’s colourful pop art design. Spiegel Online and Spiegel TV have been situated at other locations in the city, but now the three divisions are consolidated in one building – the new Spiegel Headquarters.

The new headquarters has a prominent location in the in-ner habour of Hamburg and offers a distinctive design with its own unique architectural expression. Together with the office building, Ericus-Contor, which forms part of the complex, Spiegel Headquarters rises from a red tile base – above which floats a bright, transparent building volume of glass, steel and concrete.

Spiegel Headquarters is designed by Henning Larsen Ar-chitects and is characterised by its clear focus on contact points, meeting places and communication. In combina-tion with its high architectural quality, clear connection to the urban context and holistic sustainable design, the project is designed to meet the needs and requirements of a modern media house. This was also the reason why the project was selected as winner of the international compe-tition with 13 participants in 2007.

The new headquarters covers 30,000 m2 and houses 1,100 employees. The bright, transparent design supports the work processes in the editorial offices, documentary department and publishing division and the interior layout provides room for concentration, communication and dis-

the vision

Der Spiegel is Germany’s most influential news magazine and today has over 6 million readers.

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semination. The individual floors are connected by stairs and footbridges rising across the central atrium space. The large central window of the building, ’Fenster zur Stadt’, creates an active dialogue between the activities of the media group and city life.

The fifth floor comprises a café very much inspired by the interior design of Panton in the previous Spiegel Head-quarters from 1969. The original red pop art environment creates an inspiring, evocative gathering point for Spie-gel’s employees. From the outside, it stands out as a red-orange field in the facade facing the city. The vivid Panton colours closely connect to Spiegel’s identity and have been re-used several places in the building.

One of the great qualities of HafenCity is the proximity to the water. It has been an essential focus point in the de-sign process that the new Spiegel Headquarters not only offers the employees an attractive office environment but that the building also contributes positively to the public urban space. The building connects the old Hamburg and the new urban quarter of HafenCity and creates a vibrant urban space with squares and recreational spaces along the Elbe.

As one of the first and most sustainable buildings in Ham-burg, Spiegel Headquarters has been awarded the presti-gious award ’Hafencity Umweltszeichen Gold’ – a forerun-ner of the German certification standard, DGNB.

EricusspitzeSpiegel Section BB, Scale: 1:350Henning Larsen Architects A/S

Section of the building(north-south-axis)

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Interview with architect Louis Becker, Partner and Director at Henning Larsen Archtiects and Adjunct Professor at Aalborg University.

Henning Larsen Architects has designed commercial buil-dings all over the world. The buildings are characterised by a distinctive design based on the objective to strengt-hen the corporate identity and an active use of daylight, which contributes to creating an attractive and efficient work environment.

What characterises successful commercial buildings?

A successful commercial building supports the company’s dynamics, culture and image. The design cannot bring about a change in itself but it plays a significant role by providing the framework for change. Commercial buildings should have a flexible design, allowing for future work and innovation processes to unfold with no limitations. Many projects have an agenda where architecture is a tool for change, and a commercial project always offers some kind of in-built change – for instance a new organisation or a new way to work.

The building should contribute to motivating the emplo-yees and creating synergy across departments – gene-rating new ideas and thus added value for the company. It should offer room for concentration, cross-disciplinary collaboration and dialogue and comprise areas for both individual and group work. Likewise, it is essential that the physical framework creates a sense of community and affiliation with the company.

Flexibility should be a decisive element in the design process from day one to ensure that the building layout is adaptable to future organisational developments. Instead of creating barriers, the building should create commu-nity and contact between the employees – encouraging informal meetings, dialogue and knowledge sharing. The employees should be able to see and quickly establish contact with each other to discuss ideas etc. Metaphori-cally speaking, the building should offer a never expiring invitation to contribute.

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An open invitation

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In what way does the design create value for the users?

Naturally, the building should create value for the busi-ness. It is a management tool. However, the building also provides the company with a clearer profile. In the design stage, many details need to be decided upon – a process that naturally brings up the values and corporate culture of the company. Thus, the process is also an opportu-nity for the company to change old habits and consider whether the business could be organised in a different way.

Sustainability has been an important theme in architec-ture in recent years and has marked a significant change. It has become important to respond to the international political scene on which climate change and use of resour-ces are top of the agenda. Many organisations also wish to demonstrate that this is a theme that they take seriously – and in this context, architecture is a powerful tool.

We are currently working on a number of commercial buil-dings worldwide with extremely high ambitions as regards the corporate responsibility that the completed building should demonstrate. A lower energy consumption, fewer

sick days among the employees and lower operational costs are some of the aspects that not only entail financial savings for the company but also contribute to strengt-hening its image significantly.

In general, which qualities characterise the commercial buildings of Henning Larsen Architects?

We base our design on the meeting and interaction between people. At the same time, we strive to create buildings that relate to the surrounding context – not only the city, landscape and climate but also the culture and the society that they form part of. Our objective is not to develop icons only offering a fancy design and a short, in-spirational ‘kick’ – our commercial buildings should create long-lasting value for clients and users.

All our buildings offer their own unique expression de-veloped in collaboration with the client and relevant user groups. One of our main architectural beliefs is that com-mercial buildings should support knowledge sharing and social interaction across the organisation. Thus, the buil-dings most often comprise large, synergy-creating spaces.

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With the large ‘Fenster zur Stadt’, we have established a close connection between the Spiegel Group and the city – to give the citizens of Hamburg an insight into the work processes of the media group and likewise provide the employees with a view of the world they are de-scribing.”Klaus Troldborg, ARCHITECT AND PROJECT MANAGER, HENNING LARSEN ARCHITECTS

AN ICON IN HAFENCITY

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SPIEGEL HQ | HENNING LARSEN ARCHITECTS | 13Spiegel HQ and Ericus-Kontor shares a joint base situated at a central plot in the centre of Hamburg.

Spiegel HQ covers 30,000 m2 and Ericus-Kontor covers 20,000 m2.

”It has been important for us not only to develop a new headquarters for the Spiegel Group but also to create a place of value for the entire city.”Klaus Troldborg, ARCHITECT AND PROJECT MANAGER , HENNING LARSEN ARCHITECTS

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Spiegel Headquarters has a distinctive design and stands out as an icon marking the entrance to the new urban quarter of HafenCity and at the same time providing Der Spiegel with a clear identity in the city.

HafenCity is the new urban quarter of Hamburg. Situated by the Elbe, HafenCity is one of the largest urban development areas in the world. When it has been fully built-up, Ham-burg is expected to grow by 40 %.

Everywhere in HafenCity, the proximity to the water is a central quality. The triangular plot of Spiegel at Ericusspitze is surrounded by water on two sides and has a prominent location in the area. The central location at Ericusspitze in HafenCity makes the new headquarters a new landmark in Hamburg as a whole.

Spiegel headquarters marks the entrance to HafenCity and on the equivalent plot to the west, you find the new El-bphilharmonie designed by Herzog & de Meuron. Together, the two buildings mark the border between HafenCity and the old city centre.

Ericusspitze represents the urban transition from the old, low industrial buildings on the one side of the water and the densely built-up area and tall buildings of HafenCity and the old district, Speicherstadt, on the other side of the bridge.

The new building complex consists of two overall elements: Spiegel Headquarters and Ericus-Contor, which will house various commercial tenancies. The buildings rise from a joint base, which ’folds around itself’ and creates two

raised platforms on which the two buildings are situated. In the gap between the square and upper levels of the platforms, the public functions of the buildings are situated behind a transparent glass wall. In front of this, a large broad staircase encourages people to sit down and have a break on the square and thus contributes to creating a vibrant urban space for citizens and tourists.

Two large, white glass cubes with double facades rise from the shared tile base. The outer facade layer consists of glass while the inner layer is made up of white metal with modular, room-high windows. The Spiegel building, con-stituting the largest volume, faces the city and the bridge, Oberbaumbrücke. Here, the recessed facade creates a large opening stretching from floors 3 to 12. This ‘window towards the city’ – ‘Fenster zur Stadt’ allows the citizens to follow the in-house activities and provides the employees with a view of the city and world they are describing.

Ericus-Contor is based on a similar concept with homoge-neous facades oriented towards the inner square and a large opening towards the harbour, which creates visual contact between the building courtyard and the planned Lohsepark on the other side of the harbour.

Thus, the design and orientation of the two volumes create a unique connection between the inside and outside – bet-ween the buildings and the public urban space.

An iCon in hAfenCity

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How has the city and the location on Ericusspitze influen-ced the building design?

The design of the new Spiegel Headquarters is based on the urban context. A location on such a central plot in the city requires a distinctive building – a distinctive architec-tural design. Ericusspitze marks the entrance to the new urban quarter, HafenCity. At the same time, the building represents the transition between old and new – between the old Hamburg and HafenCity. The building is made up of three elements: two white glass cubes placed upon a joint base. With its scale and tile clad surface, the base connects to the adjacent historic area of Speicherstadt, while the white cubes relate to the scale and materiality of HafenCity.

The building has a very attractive location on Ericusspitze, in the centre of the city and with water on all sides. Thus, it has been important for us not only to develop a new headquarters for the Spiegel Group but also to create a place of value for the entire city. This means that the ar-chitectural focus has not solely been on the two buildings comprising the offices of Spiegel and Ericus-Kontor, but also on the continuous urban space created between the buildings – a large arrival square on the one side and a public plaza to the south. We hope that people will gather on the large stairs leading to the water or at one of the many cafés and other outward functions situated on the ground floor of the building.

Spiegel HQ adds value to the entire city

An iCon in hAfenCity

Interview with Project and Design Manager Klaus Troldborg

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How has Spiegel’s identity been incorporated into the design?

The objective of the project was to consolidate all func-tions of the Spiegel Group under one roof. In this con-nection, it has been central to us to develop a design that enhances the sense of community and identity for the employees and supports the contact between the various departments.

The circulation in the building is centred around the cen-tral space – the atrium – where footbridges and stairs cre-ate dynamic shortcuts between the various departments up through the building. The atrium is the identity-creating

space in the building and sets the stage for communica-tion and informal meetings between the employees.

Flexibility has been another focus area in the design pro-cess. It has been important for us to design a building that meets today’s work place requirements, but which is also adaptable to the continuously changing agendas in the media business. All special functions such as the cafete-ria, conference area, television studio etc. are placed in the building base on the ground floor and first floor, while the office functions are situated on the third floor and up. The flexible design of the departments allows for them to be extended or re-arranged as needed.

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As regards the Spiegel’s identity in Hamburg, our intention has been to build on the position of the previous head-quarters as an architectural landmark in the city. With the large ‘Fenster zur Stadt’, our ambition has been to establish a close connection between the Spiegel Group and the city – to give the citizens in Hamburg an insight into the work processes of the media group and likewise provide the employees with a view of the world they are describing.

What has sustainability meant for the building design?

The sustainability certification of HafenCity – which could be considered a forerunner of the German DGNB standard in green building – takes a holistic approach to sustainabi-lity and incorporates everything from energy and resource consumption through economy and indoor climate to social aspects. The Spiegel Headquarters is pre-certified for a gold medal, which means that at least four out of five categories meet the requirements for gold. Thus, the buil-ding is one of the most sustainable large-scale buildings in Germany.

Looking at the social aspect, the building actively con-tributes to city life by providing public access to the site and offering a number of public, outward functions on the

ground floor. Regarding energy consumption, the buil-ding operates with both visible and invisible solutions. Firstly, we have created a compact volume and a facade that reduces heat loss and provides ample daylight. The so-called double-compact facade provides effective sun protection and allows for employees on all floors to open the windows.

To mention one of the more invisible solutions, the building is heated and cooled by means of the expo-sed concrete slabs in which embedded cooling coils are connected to a geothermal facility. This combined with a well-insulated facade and use of treble glazing makes it unnecessary to have radiators in the building – which again reduces the energy consumption and improves the indoor climate.

Sustainability has greatly influenced our approach to the building design as a whole, and it has been an interesting challenge to develop architectural solutions that meet the high requirements of HafenCity’s gold medal. Green building is here to stay, and if sustainable solutions are incorporated correctly from the beginning, they are no hindrance to achieving buildings of a high architectural quality!

An iCon in hAfenCity

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Spiegels arkitektur og indretning kendetegnes af sit stærke fokus på kontaktpunkter, mødesteder og kommunikation.” Klaus Troldborg, ARKITEKT OG PROJEKTLEDER, HENNING LARSEN ARCHITECTS

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The ambition has been to create a strong identity for the entire Spiegel Group based on the key words communication, flexibility and transparency.

The design of Spiegel Headquarters aims to create a strong sense of community for everyone in the organi-sation. All employees should feel part of a very special work place, and the interior layout provides the setting for informal meetings between the employees – and thus the decisive synergy and cross-pollination between the various platforms of the Spiegel Group.

When entering the building through the main entrance, recessed in the gap below the floating tile volume of the base, you pass the reception and the building opens up in a large atrium rising up through all 14 floors.

The design of the atrium space links the various divisi-ons across floors and encourages for communication and informal meetings between the employees. Glass lifts are available in both ends of the atrium and a varied sequence of stairs and footbridges rise across the atrium from floors 3 to 12.

The special functions of the building are situated in the base whose central atrium is clad in natural stone. The ground floor comprises a television studio and staff cafe-teria with direct access to the public square in front of the

building – allowing the staff to take their meal outside in summer.

A large stone-clad staircase in the atrium leads to the first floor, which – in addition to sound studios and a staff fitness centre – comprises a large meeting and confe-rence facility. This section faces the square and opens up towards the view by means of large windows and a loggia where you can step out to enjoy the view.

Interior cube

If you move further up through the part of the building whose exterior appears as a white glass cube, you arrive in the office section – characterised by open balconies along the walking lines around the atrium. It is possible to establish offices along the entire exterior facade. A flexible wall system allows for the distribution of closed offices of various sizes and open-plan offices to be changed as needed in the future.

The walls towards the corridor consist of a combination of oak doors and panels of glass and wood, respectively, which makes it possible to meet the specific requirements of the users – whether they need transparency or privacy.

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The most open functions of the building are primarily located to the north and south with direct access to the atrium, while the divisions requiring more peace and quiet are placed to the east and west, where a core of service functions serve as a ‘buffer’ to the atrium.

The atrium is the heart of the building and the place where people meet and follow the activities in the building. Its varied two and three-storey spaces open up to the city and make the view of Hamburg a central quality all the way up through the building.

Materials and colours

The materials and colours of the building have been care-fully selected – with a view to achieve a strong sustaina-ble profile and express the distinctive building design in the best way possible. On the exterior, the heavy, tile clad base creates a beautiful contrast to the smooth filigree glass cube. The expression of the double facade changes between reflection in the outer glass layer and a more deep expression –where the inner facade’s white lac-quered metal and room-high windows with dark wooden frames stand out distinctly, depending on the time of day and orientation of the facades towards the sun.

The interior base is clad in natural stone, while the cube above appears as a ‘world in white’ with white painted

surfaces and white metal ceilings. Wooden handrails on the front edges of the balconies and footbridges, wooden doors and wood panelling on the walls towards the cor-ridors and atrium provide the interior with a bright and embracing atmosphere – and a certain Scandinavian touch. The use of glass panels on the office walls creates transparency and lets the light pour in the atrium through both facades.

The bright and neutral colouring contributes to bringing the individual employees into focus. When entering the building and particularly the large atrium, you will be met by the employees moving across the balconies along the atrium or across the footbridges and stairs.

As a contrast to the white colour, selected places in the building feature contrast colours in a scale ranging from yellow over orange to red – colours that both refer to the colour of Spiegel’s logo and to Spiegel’s long history of ap-plying Werner Panton’s colouring. In the triple-high room towards ’Fenster zur Stadt’, elements from the old Spiegel cafeteria are reused in the new staff cafeteria and thus emphasise and carry on this history.

An ACtive meeting plACe

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Which role has Henning Larsen Architects played in the interior design of Spiegel Headquarters?

Henning Larsen Architects has been responsible for the interior design of the headquarters, including the selec-tion of materials. A special characteristic feature is the 13 footbridges in the atrium, creating a dynamic connection between the third and twelfth floor and also the adjacent café/lounge – a triple high space forming part of the pro-minent large window facing the city, ’Fenster zur Stadt’. The lounge is a creative re-installation of Verner Panton’s original, colourful pop art design developed specifically for Spiegel’s previous Hamburg headquarters in 1969. The common wish of Der Spiegel and the preservation institu-tion of Hamburg was for the new café to feature elements

of the original design. Thus, we have re-used the colours, lamps, chairs and tables of the old Spiegel Headquarters – making two worlds meet: the colourful, expressive Panton universe on the one side and the more simple expression characterising the design of Henning Larsen Architects on the other.

In all the remaining parts of the building, focus has been on creating a light, open and transparent environment by primarily applying bright colours and natural materials – adding highlights from Panton’s palette of colours to create a special atmosphere and experience in the more hidden parts of the building. We have put great emphasis on not bringing everything on to ‘the cover’, but instead giving the users – Spiegel’s employees and visitors – the

An ACtive meeting plACe

Interview with project architect Martha Lewis

Two worlds meet

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opportunity to ‘leaf’ through the building and find their way to the areas highlighted with color. As an example, the primary escape routes are marked by a vivid colour very much influenced by Panton.

What characterises the design and decoration of the red café lounge?

The Panton café designated for the employees of the media group has a distinctive expression clearly visible from the outside in the evening and appearing as a bright orange field in the large ’Fenster Zur Stadt’ in daytime. From the footbridges in the atrium, you enter a room that – despite its transparency and high ceilings – resembles an authentic 60’s lounge with coloured lamps and soft velour. The 100 m2 high-ceiling lounge features tables

and chairs from the original café supplemented with new Panton furniture. The floor is covered with the classic red-pattern Panton carpet and on the high back wall, we have re-created a mosaic of shimmering light panels and upholstered acoustic pyramids. Hanging from the ceiling, you will find groups of the classic red flower pots used by Panton in the original Spiegel cafe.

Panton’s design from the 1969 focused on creating a relaxed, cave-like atmosphere of colour to support an inspiring work environment for the employees. Henning Larsen Architects’ design is not characterised by the same compressed spaces, but we have continued the spirit of his work and taken a curious and respectful approach to the three-dimensional and textural character of his design.

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An important element of the process has been to create a smooth transition between the lively colours of Panton and the softer, natural materials for instance found in the atrium.

How has it been for an architect with a more minimalist tradition to work with such expressive shapes and colours?

For the café, the challenge was to achieve a complete Panton universe in a 2011 building. By means of a crea-tive re-use of Panton’s dynamic, colourful elements in the ‘Fenster zur Stadt’, we have rooted Spiegel’s own design history in the new headquarters. It was an extremely inspi-ring assignment to get the chance to work with classic pop art on such giant surfaces.

A general use of accent colours throughout the building has formed part of our design tradition for a long time.

We often work with incorporating colours and textures in large spaces, and the meeting between simple and more powerful elements has always been part of our architectu-ral approach. It was very exciting to make the two worlds and eras meet for the Spiegel Headquarters. To make the original designer’s work and a strong contemporary design delicately interact.

Visiting Hamburg recently, it was fantastic to see how the building actually works – and experience how the light fil-ters down through the atrium, and how the employees use the footbridges across the floors for informal meetings just as intended. Likewise, it was a very strong physical expe-rience to move through the building – the many zigzags of the footbridges give you a sense of physically interacting with the building – almost like dancing!

An ACtive meeting plACe

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Sustainability has been a central and significant aspect for all involved parties from the beginning of the project. Early on in the process, it was thus decided to design the building in accordance with the gold medal requirements of the local certification system, ’HafenCity Umweltzeichen’.

As is the case for the subsequently introduced certifica-tion system in green building, DGNB, ‘HafenCity Umwelt-zeichen’ operates with a broad definition of sustainability, including social sustainability, energy consumption and a conscious use of materials.

Energy consumption

To achieve a low energy consumption of 80 kwh/m2/year, a number of sustainable solutions have been incorporated into the design of the building. The facade of the glass cube is a so-called ‘double compact facade’ whose outer layer protects a ventilated cavity comprising flexible and effective solar protection. The interior facade offers a high degree of insulation by means of extra insulation in the closed panels and use of three-layer glass in the large windows.

The exact sizes of the windows, solar protection unit and curtains have been carefully matched to find the right balance between the U-value of the facade, the thermal load of the sun and inflow of light in the offices – and thus minimise the energy consumption for heating, cooling and artificial lighting. All large double-leaf windows of the building can be opened individually and thus contribute to increasing the flexibility and comfort of each employee. Likewise, the solar protection units can be individually controlled.

The temperature in the building is controlled through water-bearing pipes embedded in the concrete slabs. In that way, the mass of the heavy building parts is used to cool and heat the office spaces, which thus feature expo-sed, rendered concrete ceilings. To ensure a high degree of flexibility, the ceilings are fitted with thermo sockets to

foCus on sustAinAbility

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which cooling coils can be connected to adjust the tempe-rature in the individual office spaces. The cooling coils are connected to a geothermal facility.

The air supply channels of the ventilation system are embedded in the corridor floors of the individual offices, while the exhaustion channels are incorporated in the ceiling. The channels are connected to an efficient heat recovery facility on the roof – another important element in the energy optimisation of the building.

Water

Focus has been on achieving water savings by means of water-saving fittings and use of grey way for flushing toi-lets, watering flowers, cleaning and washing.

The percolation of rainwater on the plot has been reduced by means of rainwater collection and by the partly green roof surfaces. Facade materials that could release heavy metals to the rainwater have been avoided.

Materials

All materials applied have been thoroughly examined. Pro-ducts containing PVC or other blacklisted substances have been avoided, and the materials’ ability to create a good indoor climate has been measured.

The specific requirements for the degasification of sub-stances (TVOC less than 1.5 mg/m3), elimination of bioci-des and formaldehydes and halogen-free fire protection are met.

Mechanical ventilation and the possibility to open the individual windows ensure a high air quality throughout the building.

A minimum of 20 % of the functional areas should be suitable for allergic people, which means that all materials and solutions have been tested in relation to how easy they are to clean.

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‘HafenCity Umweltzeichen’ applies a broad definition of the concept of sustainability and has divided the dif-ferent themes into five categories in which specific requirements must be met to obtain silver or gold. At least three out of five categories must be met to achieve gold. The objective of the Spiegel project has been to achieve gold in four categories. The project has been pre-approved for gold but the final granting will not take place until the completed building has been tested for meeting the requirements.

Hafencity Umweltzeichen is in many ways a forerunner of the German certification system, DGNB, comprising a broad perception of sustainability that includes environmental, social and economic issues.

sustAinAble golD meDAl

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

This category requires for the building to have an energy con-

sumption lower than 100 kWh/m2/year. The calculated energy

consumption of the Spiegel building is 80 Kwh/m2/year.

HANDLING OF PUBLIC RESOURCES

A precondition for meeting the requirements of this category is

that an architectural competition for the assignment has been

held. In addition, public access to the site and public functions

on the ground floor are required.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BUILDING MATERIALS

In this category, the requirements for gold are so high that it

would not be possible in practice to meet them with a high-rise

building, as the requirements are based on the use of wood as

building material.

However, the Spiegel project meets the requirements for silver

as a result of a comprehensive test of all building materials.

1

2

3

4

5

HEALTH AND COMFORT

The requirements of this category are met by means of soluti-

ons creating a good and healthy indoor climate, including spe-

cific requirements for the degasification of substances (TVOC

less than 1.5 mg/m3, tested on site after completion), elimina-

tion of biocides, halogen free fire-proofing as well selection of

emission free materials or materials with a low emission for all

surfaces.

A minimum of 20 % of the functional areas must be designed

for allergic people. This means that all materials and solutions

should be thoroughly tested to ensure that they are cleaning-

friendly.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY OPERATION

This category is about ensuring a sustainable management of

the building – during construction as well as during operation.

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ENERGY CONSUMPTION LESS THAN 80 KWH/M2/YEAR

NATURAL VENTILATIONGEOTHERMAL FACILITY 320 WATER-BEARING PIPES EMBEDDED IN CONCRETE SLABS

GREEN ROOFS RAINWATER COLLECTION WATER-SAVING FITTINGS

HUMANISTIC APPROACHUSALLERGY FRIENDLY MATERIALS

PUBLIC ACCESS

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The new Spiegel Headquarters forms part of an exten-sive development of Hamburg’s inner harbour, HafenCity. With the completion of the new Spiegel Headquarters, the various divisions of the media group are consolidated under one roof: Der Spiegel magazine, Spiegel TV, Spiegel Online and the publishing division. Together with Ericus-Kontor, the headquarters stands out as a landmark by the entrance to HafenCity.

13 national and international architecture studios partici-pated in the competition for the new Spiegel Headquar-ters, and two projects were selected to proceed to the second stage. Henning Larsen Architects won first prize and signed the contract with the German client, Robert

Vogel GmbH & Co., in 2007. Henning Larsen Architects has developed the project until the detailed design stage. The process included the design of all essential architectural details and the selection of materials. Subsequently, the local architect, Höhler+Partner, completed the project, including tender and construction management.

behinD the projeCt

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BEHIND THE PROJECTLeading figures from Henning Larsen Architects:

Responsible Partner: Architect, Partner and Director Louis Becker

Project and Design Manager: Klaus Troldborg

Project Manager: Michael Horn

Lead Architect, Interior Design: Martha Lewis

Concept Design and Competition Manager: Ulrik Raysse

Team of Architects:Charlotte Bigom, Daniel Illum-Davis, Esben Wong, Filip

Francati, Henrik Vuust, Katja Brandt, Martha Lewis, Maximilian Müller, Merete Alder Juul, Mikkel Thorvald

Madsen, Peter Gamborg, Peter Koch, Sarah Kübler, Silke Jörgenshaus and Sonila Thaka.

TEAM BEHIND SPIEGELClient:

Robert Vogel GmbH & Co. KG User:

Die SPIEGEL-Gruppe

Project Management (for Client):ABG - Allgemeine Baubetreuungsgesellschaft mbH

Architects:Henning Larsen Architects A/S

Höhler+PartnerStructural Engineer:

Ingenieurbüro Dr. Binnewies Installation Engineer:

DS-Plan AGElectrical Engineer:

ISR Schlegel und Reußwig GmbHLandscape Architect:

WES & Partner LandschaftsarchitektenLight Design:

Kardorff Ingenieure Lichtplanung

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Vesterbrogade 76DK-1620 Copenhagen VTel: +45 8233 3000Fax: +45 8233 3099www.henninglarsen.com

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