State-of-the art office building emerging in HafenCity

The new building will become a centre of work, relaxation and meetings with recreational areas on the green roof terrace and a 400-square metre green oasis in the inner courtyard. "Working environments are changing fundamentally," said Johann Spengler, Managing Partner of Steidle Architekten. "The office block of the future must offer meeting places, create open spaces for spontaneous exchange and foster creative centres for developing new ideas." It picks up on demands for new work structures subsumed under the term "New Work" and that include work-life blending, collaboration and remote work.

A VTG team helped develop the plans from the outset to successfully adapt to new standards, said Spengler. "We at VTH take ecological, economic and social responsibility and want to be climate-neutral by 2040. When choosing our new office space, it was important to us to set an example in terms of sustainability and functionality," said Oksana Janssen, Chief Operating Officer Eurasia & Far East of VTG AG. The project was backed by the Hamburg Invest economic development agency.

The development and construction processes are based on the HafenCity Ecolabel, the highest sustainability award for suburb there. Apart from reduced operational energy requirements, it includes recycled or reusable building materials produced with particularly low CO2 emissions. The façade, for instance, will be made of used or reused bricks. Photovoltaic systems will supply green electricity. A deconstruction concept documents the circularity of the building.

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