O-WERK | CAMPUS Bochum: BG RCI moves into the BrainFactory
The German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Raw Materials and Chemical Industry (BG RCI) is moving into the BrainFactory Bochum at the O-WERK | CAMPUS. In summer 2024, it will become the main tenant of around 7,000 square meters in the new building, for which the building permit was recently granted. What makes this project special is that BrainFactory is being realized according to the new Spirit Offices office concept, which Landmarken AG developed in collaboration with New York architect Mathias Hollwich.
BrainFactory is part of the second construction phase of O-WERK | CAMPUS at MARK 51°7, the former Opel factory site. The first construction phase, the think tanks designed by HPP Architects, is already largely complete. Several tenants have already moved in, including Viactiv health insurance, which offers around 800 employees approximately 14,000 square meters of modern workspace.
BG RCI is a statutory accident insurance provider with around 36,000 member companies and approximately 1.6 million insured persons. "We want to reposition ourselves not only ecologically, but also economically," says Robert Hoffmann, project manager at BG RCI, which currently operates two locations in Bochum. "With BrainFactory, we have the opportunity to move into a modern and sustainable building and introduce a new office concept at the same time. We are looking forward to this paradigm shift and are convinced that we have found a partner in Landmarken with whom we can realize our sustainability goals and office concepts."
The Bochum location is one of four main administrative locations operated by the nationwide professional association. Around 350 employees will move to O-WERK | CAMPUS in 2024, and the lease is designed for the long term with a term of 20 years plus an option to extend. "The cooperative, goal-oriented collaboration of all parties involved has led to the success of this forward-looking project," says Heiko Keller, authorized signatory and director of Cubion Immobilien AG, which had already brokered the settlement of Viactiv on the O-Werk Campus prior to this lease agreement.
"We have been in talks with BG RCI for some time about a location on the O-WERK | CAMPUS. We are therefore particularly pleased with the decision to move forward with BrainFactory, which means that 84 percent of the property is now occupied," says project manager Constanze Justus of Landmarken AG. "This is a great vote of confidence in our Spirit Office concept, which we are implementing here. But it also shows that even in economically turbulent times, the success story of O-WERK | CAMPUS at MARK 51°7 can continue."
The Spirit Offices concept is based on the four pillars of "Intelligence," "Happy & Healthy," "Community," and "Respect Nature." These stand 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 communal areas. Respect for nature is expressed through sustainable construction methods and smart, climate-friendly energy management.
Built to the EG 40 energy efficiency standard, the BrainFactory can be operated largely using green energy: the building's heating supply – one of the first in North Rhine-Westphalia – is covered by geothermal energy, optimized for the location through a connection to underground mine water. Integrated energy monitoring and intelligent building technology reduce consumption, and electricity is produced by solar panels on the roof. Landmarken AG has won Goldbeck West GmbH, with its branch in Bochum, as the general contractor for the construction. The outdoor space is being designed by the Kraftraum office, which will transform the inner courtyard into an "urban jungle" with lots of greenery.
Landmarken AG's O-WERK | CAMPUS, which includes the BrainFactory, is creating an innovative quarter that offers not only office space but also complementary uses such as mobility hubs, restaurants, and childcare. A comprehensive service concept with a neighborhood app and service point as a physical contact point also serves the everyday needs of neighborhood users. The campus is supplied with a high-performance fiber optic network. It has excellent public transport connections, thanks in part to the recently added new railway line. Thanks to smart building technology and renewable energy concepts, the entire campus has been awarded the prestigious DGNB Gold certificate for particularly sustainable real estate.
