Rheinenergy Headquarters

Landscape Park – Building Landscape

The basic concept is inspired by the surrounding nature and landscape of forest-like field margins and strips of grassland. Playfully encircling the open space, the green volumes condense into legible building structures.

Through an organic form, the building volumes are embedded into the surrounding park landscape. The separation of building and landscape gives way to a new continuum that creates a symbiosis between nature and architecture.

This way, the new building with its organic forms makes a distinctive headquarters for Reinenergie AG, which expresses a close relationship to the nature.

Central Circulation and Communication Zone

The central access zone serves as a meeting and communication point and links the individual buildings of the complex. Starting from the atrium in the centre of the main building, via the entrance plaza, to the lakeside terrace, a fluid sequence of rooms and spaces is created..

Bistro, points of information, the main gate and staff restaurant are connected to this central space and bring life to the open areas.

The central communication zone connects the approx. 2000 office spaces, as well as the conference hall, the customer center, the corporate medical service and the multifunctional spaces with the park.

The central access zone culminates in the atrium, which is enclosed by the main building structure. As a glassed space, the atrium simultaneously functions as entrance hall, meeting point and central space for events and activities.

Walkways in the upper floor of the 3-storey hall allow for quick connections between the office areas and provide a view over the parkland, across to the lake.

Building Structure

The curved contours of the building ensemble encircle and articulate the surrounding exterior spaces, as they take on and continue the gentle shape of the park.

The 4-6 storey main building accentuates the central area. From there the building heights gradually lower towards the lake and thereby blend into the surrounding parkland and landscape.

Office Landscape

The winding scenic paths, which keep offering diverse visual relations and perspectives, extend into the physical structures as inner circulation areas of the buildings. They offer space for people to meet, rest and move freely.

Meeting points at the intersections create decentralized communications points for informal conversations. The new working environment becomes part of the landscape park and a new "office landscape" is created.

The organic shape of the buildings creates areas for office work stations that merge into each other and permit flexible space subdivisions.

Large connected and flexible office spaces are created in the curved areas of the building, as multifunctional zones with high quality lighting and open views. Spatially separated "think tanks" and individual offices arrange the floor plan and offer extra space for privacy and concentrated individual work.

Energy Concept, Sustainability

The new administration building was equipped with a multitude of energy-saving and ecologically-sound technologies and received the DGNB gold pre-certification. 

Amongst other things, this includes a significant undershooting of the limit value of specific overall primary energy demand. Heating and cooling the building are supported by a geothermal energy system.

The natural ventilation of office areas is ensured by skylight windows. The exhaust air is monitored by a CO2 sensor and, if necessary, the ventilation system will be engaged to ensure the minimum fresh-air ratio. An energy management system together with the monitoring of energy consumption ensure optimized operation.

Façade

The facades are mainly divided by horizontal bands. Closed parapet elements as metal façade and horizontal window bands enhance the perception of the curved basic shape of the buildings.