architect: Behnisch Architekten
location: Hamburg
year: 2009
The new Unilever headquarter building is situated right by the river Elbe, prominently positioned in Hamburg‘s HafenCity. The Unilever building opens up large areas to the public, both outside the building and within.
The central element and heart of the building is the generous atrium, flooded by daylight, which offers public amenities at ground floor level. Light streams in through generous glazed surfaces in the roof construction.
The roof, which was optimized by means of light simulations, also provides the office areas with sufficient daylight. Near the central access areas around the atrium there are open spaces looking out over the interior expanse – the Meeting Points.
These serve as access to the office zones while encompassing central facilities such as copy stations and kitchenettes. The Meeting Points are connected to one another by bridges and walkways.
Horizontal and vertical neighbourhoods are created, which are primarily intended for informal encounters. Vibrant and communicative interaction evolves, fostering a feeling of togetherness among the employees.
The Unilever building follows the principles of holistic, sustainable architecture. Its energy concept focuses on avoiding technical solutions, while introducing, where appropriate, technology that helps save resources.
Particular attention was paid to the arrangement of the individual levels with respect to capturing a maximum amount of daylight in all areas. The building‘s high degree of flexibility facilitates the adaptation of use to future requirements; the layout and the arrangement of the individual areas conform to the prerequisites for optimal microclimatic conditions.
It was the users‘ acceptance of the building that stood at the centre of all considerations. All of those areas with an essential bearing on the use of the building, the atrium in particular, underwent analyses to arrive at the maximum level of comfort in terms of room acoustics and were optimized accordingly.
A hybrid system was introduced for ventilation: primary ventilation is provided mechanically via a compressed air floor, whereby the air supply is fed into the office area via a filter system and from there into the atrium. Heat exchangers are located near the roof so that warmth can be recovered and no energy is lost.
