EXPERIENCE WORLD

A special construction site

The Hageloft is the new Osnabrück headquarters of the MUUUH! Groupe in a former chemical factory, which has been given a remarkable new look as a heritage-protected, multifunctional complex by the Münster-based architecture firm KRESINGS: Dark clinker brick meets gold-coloured sheet metal, a 10 x 13 metre glazed east facade offers an insight into the company’s themed worlds – an eye-catcher! Countless details contribute to this: reconstructed clinker bricks, colourful painted iron staircases, manually exposed and whitewashed interior brickwork, etc. The client now has 6,120 square metres of total space on four working levels, with 2,897 square metres of office space allocated to the company’s four units. The approximately three hundred employees are mostly spread across the loft-like work areas of the long blocks, in which enclosed zones are combined with open spaces. The short side of the L-shaped floor plan offers rooms in different settings for office and communication tasks. They are accessed via the foyer, in which the leading colour gold symbolically indicates the reception desk and the unexpected escalator.

Disco

This bold and energetic aesthetic then accompanies the rest of the interior, including a gaudy disco with the appeal of the seventies, which can be used accordingly, as well as for customer workshops and events. Calm blue tones and feng shui quality can be found one floor up, in a Scandinavian-minimalist area that is a café with a reference to the SAS Hotel in Copenhagen. Above that, it is modernist, inspired by Sep Ruf’s Kanzlerbungalow – an overall spatial programme that staff and guests are happy to engage with. The original porter’s lodge to the side now houses a meeting room. On top of it sits a multi-functional hall that acts as a gold box – equipped with a cushioned floor for real indoor sports as well as for company events. A golden bridge leads to the first floor of the main building, into the “Bar Centrale” with its 1960s flair – stylish, humorous and atmospheric.

What do you think are the key qualities of a good workplace?

Jens Bormann, Kilian Kresing: Our formula is: enjoy the shared success. This is the only way to attract, retain and motivate the best talent in a region. This also includes beautiful architecture and a high-quality workplace. Home is not a location, it’s a feeling. This particular feeling, which fits in with the spirit of the times, but also with the work philosophy, dematerialises architecture that creates a very specific place or – if existing – influences qualities.

Do you see any similarities in interior design for living and working?

The quality of the location and the address, but of course also the interior spaces, is conveyed through the history and charm of the existing building. From this shared DNA, living and working draw on the same potential. The former factory, with its very wide support grid due to the production process, is a defining feature alongside the brickwork and the ceiling heights.

Which functional aspects are the most important for you in the future development of the workspaces?

We believe in sustainable addresses that follow a holistic concept. The so-called workspace starts on arrival and must offer different and flexible options throughout the day. To summarise, a workspace should also have something to do with the self-image as an identification of the company and its teams. Consequently, the working environment is just as much in flux as the company itself. With a gym, gymnasium, discotheque and a 1960s bar, we’ve already done a pretty good job. In this respect, we have to think about what we want to add as the next step.