Far removed from long corridors and dusty conference rooms, the Cologne headquarters of the consultancy firm Kienbaum Consultants International is located in the Airport Businesspark in the Gremberghoven district. Originally planned as the headquarters for a tobacco company, the building complex has become a statement for a new world of work. Laura Kienbaum was responsible for the entire development and implementation of the new office concept. The granddaughter of the company founder, in collaboration with architect Dominic Sackmann, initially conceived the design of the Cologne location and subsequently that of all other Kienbaum locations in Germany - now with her planning and consulting studio loop_creating places.

What does "good work" actually mean? And what does an office need so that people enjoy being there, can develop and be creative together? These highly topical questions formed the starting point for a comprehensive design and cultural change at Kienbaum back in 2016. The aim was to create spaces that enable openness, create identity and are functional at the same time. The design solution: a modular concept that adapts flexibly to the needs of the employees and remains adaptable over the years. From focus zones to spacious team areas, from rooms that can be booked spontaneously to workshop landscapes, everything can be put together again and again like a construction kit.

The sustainable, modular and user-centered design, which is now also used at the other German locations as a recurring, yet not uniform trademark, is not the only thing that defines the working environment at the Cologne headquarters: the company's own impressive art collection with over 1,000 works by renowned contemporary artists not only decorates the office spaces - it actually shapes them. This is because the collection, which follows the theme of "abstraction and color", becomes a recognizable design leitmotif for all office spaces: color accents meet clear lines, wall modules combine aesthetics and functionality. Whether video walls, whiteboards or libraries - everything is deliberately in dialog with the works of art on display - including works by Günther Förg, Jorinde Voigt and David Reed. "Art polarizes and connects people. That's why the synergetic connection between art and a company that deals with all consulting issues relating to the human success factor is obvious," says Jochen Kienbaum, former Managing Director of Kienbaum Consultants International, explaining the strong connection to art. As a special feature in Cologne, the spatial program of the company headquarters has even been supplemented by a show depot, which also allows the works not on display to be experienced in a unique atmosphere.

www.loop-places.com
www.sackmannpayer.com

Photos:
Philipp Jester
www.philippjester.com

(Published in CUBE Cologne Bonn 02|25)