Very Healthy

HEADS Office: A New Generation Workspace

The building in question, named HEADS office, is located in Aschheim-Dornach near Munich and is referred to as a “new generation workspace.” Ippolito Fleitz Group designed the extensive 38,700 square meters of office space for the client Rock Capital Group GmbH, combined with 1,300 square meters of dining area, and designed for 800 to a maximum of 1,800 users. The guiding principles of the interior planning followed the concept of Rock Capital Group, which aims to create the “healthier office of tomorrow” with HEADS. Health is meant to be at the core of the project, and New Work is developed into an effective and healing workspace through design and technology. The so-called “Immune Office” is built on five pillars: UV air sterilization, increased filtration efficiency, optimally cleaned heat exchangers, air conditioning with dehumidification, and contamination-free heat recovery.

Social Spaces and Flexible Office Design

The design emphasizes, in addition to physical well-being, the social element of work culture: the sense of community. The communal areas are a key aspect of this, with a prominent entrance lobby and four green cores. These include two spacious atriums called “Green Neighbourhood” and “Under the Tree,” as well as two open courtyards, “Floating Landscape” and “Secret Garden,” which provide sustainable impulses for visual relationships and pathways. These areas feel like public spaces, serving as meeting places for neighbors, acquaintances, and newcomers, creating a communicative and relaxed atmosphere. The office spaces are designed with the understanding that communication is the key to productivity and innovation. Transparent work environments facilitate chance encounters, expanding the potential space for resonance. Office concepts with sofa corners, lounges, and casual seating groups complement traditional spaces like conference rooms and individual or team offices. HEADS offers individually configurable rental spaces, allowing for all forms of workplace organization to be reflected now or in the future. IF Group developed three basic furnishing lines to inspire users with ideas for individualized office design, while also enabling all nuances and personal ideas to be realized.

What can architecture do for a good workplace?

Andreas Wißmeier: It is clear to us that offices need a new purpose. If you don’t have to go to the office, you need to want to go to the office. Because there, you find something that neither home office nor mobile work can provide: resonance, a sense of community, and identification. In a rapidly changing work environment, office spaces also need to adapt to different needs. Good architecture offers the highest level of variability and intelligent, adaptable solutions for agile work, as is expected in a true New Work approach. Good architecture creates the ideal version of a modern office by combining sustainability, functionality, and high-quality spaces in a building with diverse possibilities.

How much should the design of the workspace adjust to individual needs?

Whether individual offices, group offices, open spaces, or meeting lounges – office design must be as individual as the business itself. The working world of the future requires office buildings where the people working in them are the focal point. Although the requirements of different users vary, we believe it is essential that workspaces focus on people and their individual needs in their design. One-size-fits-all offices no longer have a future.

What functions and/or spaces are most important to you in a working environment

The concept of the “workplace = desk” is outdated. In a future office, office concepts with sofa corners, lounges, and relaxed seating areas are an essential complement to traditional spaces like conference rooms, individual or team offices, and open-plan areas. Spaces for social interaction are just as essential as areas for focused solo work. A key focus in the design of our buildings is on light, colors, materials, and planting to create positive spatial experiences. For relaxation in the workday, our projects also include staff cafeterias, in-house daycare centers, and spaces for sports and shared experiences.