Since 2012, French spirits manufacturer Pernod Ricard has operated its German headquarters in Cologne's "Westgate" on Rudolfplatz. The office spaces had become outdated and required comprehensive modernization as well as adaptation to new workplace requirements. The result is a cohesive office project that seamlessly merges lifestyle and design with contemporary work practices and the company's brand identity.

The renovation—encompassing a total area of 3,000 m²—was executed by Schwitzke Project based on the design and planning by the Düsseldorf interior architecture firm raum.atelier Goldemann-Sabbak and Hasiewicz. The concept was developed through collaborative workshops with employees and guided to completion by raum.atelier in partnership with Schwitzke Project. The result is a new office with 110 workstations that provides both open creative spaces for collaborative teamwork and individual phone booths plus dedicated focus rooms for concentrated work. Sarah Frehn, Human Resources Manager at Pernod Ricard Deutschland, emphasizes the synergies emerging from flexible New Work: "Our Activity Based Working concept is designed to foster cross-departmental collaboration and strengthen our corporate culture rooted in convivialité, while simultaneously responding to the new flexibility in the modern workplace." However, the renovation went beyond optimizing and recalibrating work processes. For the various brands of the French spirits group, several meeting rooms were created that distinguish themselves through their diverse design approaches. By expressing each brand's distinctive character, they reflect the diversity of Pernod Ricard's portfolio.

Beyond the individual work areas, special attention was devoted to the representative bar in the entryway, which was designed in close collaboration with the Cologne interior architecture firm Stil Manipulation and Marian Krause, owner of the award-winning Cologne bar "The Grid". The welcome area was designed not only to feel inviting and cosmopolitan. As the central meeting point within the office, it also needed to be multifunctional: whether hosting coffee talks, townhall meetings, or monthly after-work networking events—it provides the perfect venue for special employee gatherings as well as public product presentations. Thanks to seamless coordination among all trades involved, the project was executed smoothly and without delay within eight months, even while the facility remained operational.

www.schwitzke-project.com

www.raumatelier.de

www.stilmanipulation.de

Photos:
judith wagner fotografie
www.judithwagner.com

(Published in CUBE Cologne/Bonn 03|24)