Landmarken completes first Spirit Office
Landmarken AG's first Spirit Office is being built in Cologne. Covering an area of approximately 5,700 m², it will offer individually configurable office spaces, a café, and a roof terrace with views of the Cologne skyline. The Kite Loft Cologne is being built right next to the Landmarken office complex kite on the former Butzweilerhof airport site. Construction began in February and completion is scheduled for summer 2023.
Construction of the basement is currently underway, followed by six above-ground floors. Landmarken has brought renowned partners on board for the development: As with the neighboring kite building, the architecture is by HPP Architects, while the interior design is being handled by German-American Matthias Hollwich, founder of the New York-based firm HWKN. Other project participants include BMP Baumanagement for project management and LIST Bau Bielefeld as the general contractor.
On a site area of approximately 2,280 square meters, Kite Loft will offer 5,500 square meters of office space plus a roof terrace with a view of the cathedral and a café on the ground floor, as well as outdoor facilities with a high quality of stay, Parking spaces with e-charging facilities, a modern bicycle box for e-bikes, and showers for all employees who come by bike or go for a jog in the Bürgerpark during their break. The Spirit Club communal area promotes community, while calorie counters in the stairwells motivate people to exercise. With its sustainability aspects, loft-like New York design, and high foyer – hence the name Kite Loft – the project sets new standards and completes the Kite Campus at Butzweilerhof as its final building block. The neighboring kite building, which houses Sparkasse Köln Bonn and other tenants, will open this summer after its completion by Zech Bau.
Planned in accordance with the BEG 40 EE energy efficiency standard, the Kite Loft is aiming for DGNB Gold certification. Energy is generated sustainably using geothermal energy. This, combined with optimal adjustment of the property through building automation with digital measurement and control components, enables climate-neutral operation of the building. In addition, operating costs are capped to guarantee cost and planning security for tenants.
Spirit Offices is the new office concept developed by Landmarken AG in collaboration with Matthias Hollwich. It provides answers to the questions of what an office needs to do to retain talent, spark team spirit, and offer something better than working from home. Kite Loft Cologne is the first Spirit Office to be realized. Further Spirit Offices in Aachen and at the O-WERK | CAMPUS in Bochum are in development.
"The best employees expect their employers to provide a positive work and community experience in inspiring locations with a strong identity," says Nils Perpeet, head of the Landmarken unit for office and special-purpose real estate. "The office as a pure place of work for performing tasks has had its day. The coronavirus crisis has clearly shown that work can be done in a completely different way: with more self-determination and flexibility."
The idea behind Spirit Offices is based on four pillars: "Intelligence," "Happy & Healthy," "Community," and "Respect Nature." The new office standard thus stands for a digital building that thinks for itself, promotes health through sports facilities and the use of healthy materials, and strengthens the sense of community through a wide range of services and inspiring communal areas. Respect for nature is expressed through sustainable construction methods and smart, climate-friendly energy management. Based on the two design modules "Inspire" and "Professional," the concept allows for individual expansion in consultation with users. This is exactly what is set to happen in Cologne. Initial discussions with prospective tenants are already underway.
