Many companies have already transformed their workplaces with innovative new work concepts. Now this trend is reaching administrative buildings – Bornheim being a prime example. Last year, the Mensch im Büro group successfully positioned the city's Technical Town Hall for the future through thoughtful interior design. As part of this workplace evolution, Bornheim's city administration built a new facility complex at the "Auf dem Knickert" site in Kardorf, housing four technical departments. The 2,000 m² space accommodates around 100 employees in significantly improved working conditions.

A comprehensive feasibility study kicked things off with a detailed analysis of the spatial layout, followed by participatory workshops with staff to address concerns and build enthusiasm for the changes ahead. The Mensch im Büro team's approach was straightforward: analyze, inform, plan. This led to an interior concept featuring a modern, open, and welcoming environment with dedicated home zones for each department. The design incorporated collaborative areas and focused work zones, with Meet & Eat spaces anchoring the center of the office. The final touches included a carefully considered color and design palette, plus precision acoustic and lighting design. "Light, acoustics, and temperature are absolutely critical," explains Ralf Adam, managing director of the consulting and planning firm. "These elements had to be fine-tuned to match how our employees actually work and what they need."

The layering of different work settings created a genuinely pleasant working environment. "Bornheim was one of the first municipal administrations to challenge conventional office design," Adam notes. "What emerged here is anything but a traditional administrative building – no long hallways, no row upon row of individual cubicles." Instead, the Bornheim municipal administration occupies an open-plan landscape, thoughtfully divided by transparent glass acoustic partitions. Only modest private offices for department heads and key meeting points break the openness. Every element responds directly to how employees work and what they need, fostering collaboration and operational flexibility.

www.menschimbuero.de

Photography:

Bastian Schloen
www.studio-schloen.de

(Featured in CUBE Cologne Bonn 03|25)