A World of Work with an Impact

KVNO, Cologne, DE

With its dynamic, almost circular form, the architecturally expressive building energizes the urban fabric and generates a sense of identity. Daylight-filled spaces are grouped around a large interior courtyard as a means of optimally supporting the working processes in the building. This functionally well-thought-out structure and the highly-efficient operation of the building result from the rigorous use of integrated design with building information modeling (BIM) – from the initial design process to the facility management of the complex.

“Dynamism” as a design element
With its powerful, almost circular form and rounded corners, the new headquarters is a powerfully expressive, free-standing urban building. It wraps around its 720-m2 courtyard in the form of a ring, skillfully creating a setting for this green heart. The facade concept underlines this dynamism, while also generating a sense of creative tension: Inclined glass panels, whose positions shift at every level, generate an optical depth that accentuates the upper floors. The high level of energy efficiency of the facade and the resulting elimination of large areas of external solar protection further enhances the vibrancy of the volume.

Attractive world of work
The modern office concept turns the spotlight onto people and their specific individual needs: We no longer require rigid office grids but, rather, flexible and creative spaces for collaboration, communication, and concentration. This central idea underpins the basic circular form of this building, in which all functions optimally radiate around the green heart. Short distances between the individual departments encourage communication amongst the around 440 employees, while the flexible grid allows the spatial organization to be adapted at any time. The interaction between modern working spaces with generous views of the surrounding greenery and the targeted use of design elements results in a richly-varied office landscape.

State-of-the-art technology for feel-good workspaces
The building concept focuses on saving resources and energy efficiency. This enabled the building to far surpass the maximum requirements of the Building Energy Law (GEG). The use of regenerative energies (geothermal power and air/water heat pumps) reduces the primary energy needs of the building, while central sorption-based ventilation units lower energy consumption further. In addition to this, the acoustic simulations of the space during the design phase that were carried out in cooperation with ATP sustain and the detailed sound absorption measures that were introduced as a result ensure optimal acoustic conditions at each workspace.

Integrated design with BIM
The new administration building meets all of the client’s functional, technical, and aesthetic demands. Integrated design with BIM – from the start of the design process to the facility management phase – is an indispensable recipe for success for those seeking the vision and high quality of planning that are required in order to achieve such standards. This involves the creation of a central data model in which we visualize all the architectural, technical, physical, and functional characteristics of a building and which enables us to provide detailed information about the costs, the timetable, and lifecycle aspects of the object at any point of the planning and construction process.  

