Beiersdorf AG

Hadi Teherani has designed a new corporate group headquarters for Beiersdorf, a global corporation based in Hamburg, Germany, which transposes the ‘code’ upheld at this company with a wealth of tradition into architecture while simultaneously conforming to the requirements and demands for modern working and efficient building. The six-storey building proved to be convincing in the course of a three-phase competition. Its transparent façade fits in discreetly and elegantly into both the existing building complex and surrounding residential housing. The structure itself generates a new, identity-giving centre for the entire Beiersdorf grounds in Hamburg-Eimsbüttel. Areas accessible to the public along with the newly created green central campus serve to additionally integrate the site as a whole into the local urban district. The building has been quasi ‘raised’ in order to achieve the best optimised usage possible: the ground-floor zone including its specialised uses can consequently be designed openly and flexibly – as if ‘freely spanned’. At the same time, the working worlds situated above can be realised in a manner that nearly typifies an ‘ideal’ constellation. The building has a comb-like floor plan: offices and conference rooms are accommodated in the five bar segments on the upper floors. In the future roughly 3,000 jobs are going to be located on the site’s floor area measuring approximately 95,000 m².

The central main entrance faces Troplowitzstrasse, a local thoroughfare. An invitingly designed, suitably representational entrance zone highlighted by a basin with fountains leads the visitor inside into the reception area suffused with light. The central element of this entranceway situation is called the Blue Wall and evolves along the entire length of the ground floor. Kept in “Nivea Blue” and artfully set with pictures, objects from the brand world and acoustics, it subtly conveys both staff and visitors through the corporate group’s realm and beyond into the interior of the building. The open atmosphere displayed by the entrance scenario is optimised by storey-high transparent glazing: indoors and outdoors merge fluently into one another here, underscoring the campus mindset.

Innovative and in alignment with the standard for sustainable building that Hadi Teherani has consistently pursued ever since his early days as an architect, Beiersdorf decided in favour of having the new company headquarters certified in compliance with LEED, the internationally recognised ‘seal of approval’ for sustainability, as well as in compliance with WELL, the first worldwide certification standard for buildings. Only recently launched in 2014, WELL focuses exclusively on human health and well-being.