Inspiration drives innovation:
The best of both worlds

Berlin Hyp is building a new corporate headquarters in accordance with the latest environmental standards. When it’s completed, the new headquarters will bring all employees in Berlin together in a single building.

The project is the result of a process that began with the idea of refurbishing our headquarters at the Bank’s long-standing location, as this building was rather old and was also no longer big enough to accommodate all of our employees. However, it soon became apparent that this approach would not allow us to achieve our goal of bringing all employees in Berlin together at one location in order to simplify communication and improve the exchange of ideas and information among employees. We then quickly decided to turn two buildings into one, so to speak, and the B-One project was born. The demolition of the old building and the construction of a new one at the same site allows us to maintain our strong roots at our traditional location in Berlin – at the north-east gateway to Berlin City West – and also design new working environments for our employees at that site.

The new building’s design reinterprets and transforms our Bank’s image by conveying a sense of transparency, flexibility, vitality and a forward-looking style: Our goal is to create a new headquarters that combines the best of both worlds – i.e. modern architecture and a solid tradition. Indeed, values such as trust, solidity, credibility and fairness are of the utmost importance to us and these values should be visible in the new building. The new corporate headquarters combines modern working environments with new forms of collaboration. Our employees will be able to enjoy pleasant working environments in which they feel comfortable as they utilise attractive workstations and forward-thinking technologies. Such aspects will also strengthen the Bank when it comes to the competition for young talent. Besides being a place of work, our new headquarters will also serve as a centre for social exchange and creative collaboration.

Plans call for the construction of an 11-storey building with lush green terraces that descend downwards like giant steps towards the neighbouring buildings. Trees will also be planted in our new “Town Hall” lobby that will feature a prominent stairway that includes seating. In addition, selected spaces will be set aside to accommodate public events to a greater extent than it was previously the case – in order to stage art exhibitions, for example.

The top floor will house a roof garden and conference rooms. The new headquarters will also incorporate special climate-friendly concepts for outdoor areas and open spaces that will include the use of photovoltaic systems. A building of great architectural value will be erected, which will make its new mark on the surrounding area.

The new building will embody our long-standing sustainability strategy, which is why we are also looking to obtain certifications in accordance with the highest sustainability standards. For example, the Bank is seeking to achieve certification for the new corporate headquarters according to the very high standard set by the German Sustainable Building Council (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen - DGNB). The new headquarters will enable the Bank to reduce its energy consumption by over 50 per cent in comparison to the old building, in addition to this, operating costs will decrease significantly. The architecture of the new building will reduce CO₂ emissions with its special design of outdoor areas and open spaces.

When demolishing the old building, Berlin Hyp will take care to recycle and dispose of the materials in an environmentally friendly manner. Wherever possible, materials will be reintroduced to the construction cycle, for example. The majority of small office furniture, materials and equipment from the building that are no longer needed have been donated or auctioned off and were therefore put to further use.

Our two interim office locations were designed on the basis of an employee survey. While the new building is being constructed, employees are testing out new work concepts in reconfigured offices in the building at Corneliusstrasse 7 and in our new rented office spaces on Tauentzienstrasse in Berlin. In the meantime, we are also working with specialised companies on extensive measures to optimise sound insulation, as comfort is very important to us as a way of ensuring that our employees will enjoy working in their new environments.

Thanks to a broad approach which encourages participation, the Bank’s employees can get actively involved in the formation of the new building. For example, employees participated in the selection of individual furniture, including the desks they will use in their new workplace. Besides being given the opportunity to provide us with feedback on the new working environments throughout the entire construction phase, employees are also able to observe and reflect on developments in order to figure out what they like best about the new headquarters. In addition, they can offer constructive suggestions for improvements whose necessity was not yet apparent during the project planning phase. All of the information obtained as a result will be incorporated into the concepts for the new working environments at the new headquarters.

Close contact and an exchange of ideas throughout the project are ensured by employee workshops and various working groups, including one that meets with the Works Council.
The goal here is to bring together the best ideas for the new building and the working environments that will be created there in order to ensure that a modern, inspiring and optimal workplace awaits us when we finally move in.