Flexibility Meets Brand Identity
A French spirits giant's German headquarters in the heart of Cologne
Since 2012, French spirits manufacturer Pernod Ricard has operated its German headquarters in Cologne's Westgate building on Rudolfplatz. The office spaces had grown dated and required comprehensive modernisation to meet contemporary workplace demands. The result is a sophisticated office project that seamlessly integrates lifestyle and design with modern work culture and the company's brand identity.
Schwitzke Project executed the renovation – spanning 3,000 m² – using designs and planning by Düsseldorf-based interior architects raum.atelier Goldemann-Sabbak and Hasiewicz. Developed through workshops with employees, the project was guided from conception through completion by raum.atelier in partnership with Schwitzke Project. The result: a dynamic office housing 110 workstations, featuring both open creative zones for collaborative teamwork and private phone booths plus dedicated focus rooms for concentrated work. Sarah Frehn, Human Resources Manager at Pernod Ricard Germany, highlights the advantages of this flexible new work approach: "Our activity-based working concept fosters cross-departmental collaboration and strengthens our culture of conviviality, while embracing the flexibility that today's workforce demands." Yet this renovation extended beyond workplace optimisation. Multiple meeting rooms were created for the group's diverse brands, each designed to reflect its unique character and showcase Pernod Ricard's portfolio diversity.
Particular care was devoted to an elegant bar in the entry area, conceived through collaboration with Cologne interior design studio Stil Manipulation and Marian Krause, proprietor of the acclaimed Cologne bar "The Grid." This welcome space needed to be more than inviting and cosmopolitan – as the building's central hub, it had to serve multiple purposes. From casual coffee chats and town halls to monthly after-work gatherings, it functions as an ideal venue for both employee celebrations and public product launches. Seamless coordination among all trades enabled the project to proceed flawlessly while the building remained fully operational, completing the entire transformation in just eight months.
Photos:
Judith Wagner Photography
www.judithwagner.com
(Published in CUBE Cologne/Bonn 03|24)
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