How do you merge two office locations and create a new New Work Space with a unique customer experience? Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Deutschland GmbH is embracing the future with a multifunctional headquarters.
For Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Deutschland GmbH, as for many other companies, the end of the pandemic raised questions about restructuring their office spaces. Two years of planning and two months of renovation later, the 400 employees in Berlin moved from two original locations to the new, 5,500 square meter space spanning six floors on Stralauer Allee. Responsible for the overall concept, including site analysis, feasibility study, as well as design and execution planning, including coordination of specialist planners, are the strategists and architects from dan pearlman. This move followed an extensive analysis of location, transportation, infrastructure, and a feasibility study for merging the original locations. The decision to create an attractive workspace along the Spree River led to a concept that accommodates the increased number of employees in the space and the necessary density. Simultaneously, space was designed to enable work according to New Work principles and meet the changing needs of employees. In addition to traditional workstations, a variety of spaces for meetings, workshops, various phone booths, lounges, and a community kitchen with offerings for creative collaboration, informal communication, and employee networking were created.
To enable concentration in a more densely populated workspace, a sophisticated acoustic concept was developed. A specially designed three-dimensional wave made from recycled plastic bottles acts as a sound barrier and acoustic solution while also serving as a brand-appropriate design object. These acoustically effective baffles gently hover above employees’ heads, resembling a refreshing wave.
The highlight of the new headquarters is the 6th floor. The hybrid event location is currently used internally and will later be used by the company’s customers. Here, a panoramic bar invites guests to taste the latest Coca-Cola products. A Costa Coffee showroom delights coffee lovers. A podcast studio, a live-stream stage, and a cinema arena with professional stage technology can be used for events and customer presentations. Contract negotiations with old and new business partners take place at the bar, as do job interviews between the HR department and future employees. Everything is driven by the logic of brand building and customer experience. Shortly after its opening, the Customer Experience Center exceeded the company’s expectations in its support of sales and marketing.
The overall concept, titled “A Wave of Refreshment,” is guided by the overarching principle of “reuse, reduce, recycle.” Throughout the planning process, the team constantly worked on these themes: What can we reuse? How can we avoid waste? How can we use recycled materials? Existing furniture, such as tables, office chairs, floor lamps, and glass elements, were not only reused for economic reasons but also for ecological ones.
picture: (c)Kai Bublitz
