Working in nature - this impression comes naturally when you visit the Work Inn premises in Essen's Lindenallee. Since the end of 2019, the second floor of the striking sandstone building, which was built by architect Peter Zindel between 1898 and 1901, has been home to a 780 m² coworking space. The owners, who already run several workspaces of this type in the Ruhr region, have now doubled the space and have been offering flexible working on over 1,400 m² since June 2022. "We now use the entire floor with a view of the beautiful inner courtyard and have closed the ring, so to speak," reports co-owner Dörte Schabsky, who is responsible for the design of the Work Inn in close collaboration with Ruhrprojekt Planen & Einrichten.

The theme is unmistakably nature. The declared aim was to create a green and peaceful oasis in the middle of the city with a high quality of stay, modern design and sustainable furnishings. Innovative minds, for whom environmental awareness and sustainability are just as important as the operators, should feel at home here. Sometimes you seem to be in the middle of a forest on the warm wood-colored floor, sometimes you imagine yourself in a green meadow. On the carpeted floor in a seminar room, moss even seems to be reclaiming the area once "stolen" by cobblestones. In addition, there are wall-filling scenes with forest dwellers on photographic wallpaper, which also serve as namesakes for the respective rooms: "Stag" seminar room, "Wolf" meeting room or "Owl" podcast room. And lots of greenery, well distributed throughout the entire floor: Green sofas, armchairs and seating cubes here, chairs with green seats there. There are also lots of plants and moss pictures on the walls.

The eastern wing mainly houses the offices and lounge areas. The western wing houses the spacious coworking areas and meeting rooms. Glass elements as room dividers maintain the spaciousness, while acoustic elements reduce noise. When it came to furnishings, particular attention was paid to sustainability and the fact that the work was carried out by companies from the region. The energy-saving LED lights are powered 100 percent by green electricity, and sustainable flooring and furniture were selected. Even the cleaning service provider is ZNU sustainability-certified. This is complemented by the provision of bicycle parking spaces and shower facilities available to the community.

www.workinn.de
www.ruhrprojekt.net

Photos:

Anke Sundermeier
www.ankesundermeier.de

(Published in CUBE Ruhr Area 03|22)