The second chapter in the Spirit Offices success story begins this summer, when BrainFactory Bochum will be completed and the main tenant, BG RCI, will move in, occupying around 84 percent of the space.
In the heart of our O-WERK | Campus innovation district, the smart building with its striking façade is growing particularly quickly: in collaboration with general contractor Goldbeck, our Bochum Spirit Office will be completed just 16 months after the foundation stone was laid. The first Spirit building in the Ruhr region is also the first to feature modern laboratories—perfectly in line with further developments at the
O-WERK | Campus.
The innovative Spirit Offices office standard was developed by Landmarken in collaboration with Matthias Hollwich. The New York architect is responsible for both the feel-good interior design in the BrainFactory and the spectacular façade, which makes the building a landmark in the truest sense of the word. The remarkable new building with New York architecture for Bochum is being constructed in accordance with the EG 40 energy efficiency standard and has another special feature: sustainable geothermal energy from mine water. As one of the first buildings in North Rhine-Westphalia, the BrainFactory receives its heat supply in a location-optimized manner by connecting to warm, underground water from former mine tunnels up to 820 meters deep.
The Spirit Office concept stands for a digital building that thinks for itself, promotes health through opportunities for exercise and the use of healthy materials, and strengthens the sense of community through a wide range of services and inspiring communal areasrespect for nature is expressed through sustainable construction methods and smart, climate-friendly energy management. In the BrainFactory, integrated energy monitoring and intelligent building technology reduce consumption, and electricity is produced by solar panels on the roof. This means that operations can be largely covered by green energy. Speaking of green: the outdoor space was designed by the Kraftraum office, which also designed the inner courtyard – with lots of plants, it has been transformed into an "urban jungle."
"I am delighted that the vision is now becoming a reality. The fact that more than two-thirds of the space in our three Spirit Offices has already been leased is wonderful confirmation. We now expect to be almost fully let before the portfolio is completed," says Jochen Hermanns, member of Landmarken's management board. "We have implemented a consistent philosophy, design language, and technology in all three buildings. Through our partnership with Urban Village, we will also be able to provide community services for all users."