Openness and transparency are at the heart of SAP’s new office building WDF 49 in Walldorf, Germany, designed by Scope Architekten. Promoting the idea of collaboration in modern working environments, its split-level architecture encourages both horizontal and vertical communication in a team-based corporate structure. As such, it’s more than just an architectural statement: based on the SAP philosophy, the functional aesthetic creates a sense of identity. Offering room for 700 employees, the five-storey building comprises of two parts connected by an aerial walkway. With its clear shape, it integrates perfectly into the surrounding urban landscape, while parapet bands lend the façade an elegant lightness. The buildings are positioned to create inviting outdoor spaces, including a garden café, thus strengthening the campus character of the site.
Both parts of the building were constructed within reinforced-concrete skeleton frames, each containing a massive staircase core. The layout of building A develops around a freestanding exposed concrete core. Entry is via a large foyer encompassing a reception area and showroom. The generous open staircase, which extends from the ground to the top floor, symbolizes and indeed facilitates smooth work processes and ad-hoc meetings, offering embedded seating facilities, communication zones and access to the open-space areas. A spacious roof terrace further encourages the idea of collaboration, serving as both a meeting place and event space. Building B follows the aesthetics of building A. Reflecting the diversity of SAP’s work processes, its structure allows for individual as well as shared offices and open-plan spaces. Three atriums provide daylight for the various levels in the central zone. An optical highlight is the graphic art element on the glass surface of the atrium in the café area, which extends over several floors.
| Client | SAP SE |
| City | Walldorf |
| Country | Germany |
| Architects | Scope GmbH |
| Completion | February 2019 |
| Sector | Tech |
| Project type | New building |
| Gross floor area m2 | 16,980 |
| Number of employees | 700 |
| Lighting | Selux – M60, Selux Kju | Nimbus – Modul L |
| Flooring | Porcelain tiles: Marazzi | Screed: Horst Buschmann | Carpets: Object Carpet – Arctic | Jab Anstoetz – Fame 354/693 |
| Acoustics | Modular felt ceiling system: Hunter Douglas | Wooden ceilings: Lignotrend |
| Workspace Furniture | Scope and wd 3 – Flomo Whiteboard | Diverse furniture (De Vorm – LJ3/Big 110/Big 74, Talent – Serie 500, Crassevig – Otto HA, Lapalma – Uno / Fork / Auki) | Vitra – ID Chair | Ophelis – series CN |
| Conference Furniture | Walter Knoll – Keypiece | Brunner – Ray / A-Chair | Eric Jorgensen – Frame |
| Lounge Furniture | Lapalma – Auki/Fork | Cor – Drop | Inclass – Arc Chair / Lund |
| Greenery | - |
| Technology | loT |
| Gastronomy | - |
