What does a sustainable office look like? The new Geroldswil office of BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, a pioneer in the household appliance industry and wholly owned subsidiary of Bosch, is a pioneering project in terms of sustainability. Together with our long-standing project partner Schmidhuber , we designed the Swiss office in line with ESG guidelines (economic, ecological and social). The result is an exciting modern office landscape, zoned into various individual work areas, with plenty of space for community.
Ludwig Vogler, Project Manager Konrad Knoblauch GmbH
The design by Schmidhuber focuses on the employees. “We took a holistic view of the New Work culture and the issue of sustainability,” explains Eva von Schmidhuber, “so it was all about the aspects of people, process and places.” Demand-orientated solutions were required – and therefore also modular space concepts that ensure greater flexibility of the areas.
In addition to individual work areas, there is plenty of room for communication. Meeting points that strengthen the sense of community. “The communication of the brand in the space plays a decisive role,” explains Eva.
A design in which all employees feel comfortable: This also includes very practical things such as acoustic ceilings and customised lighting solutions – and a careful selection of materials. This, in turn, is one of our core competences as interior designers. Important keywords here are: Odour neutrality and naturalness. “For example, we worked with straw building boards in the wall area,” explains Ludwig, who was responsible for the interior fit-out and installation on our behalf.
Natural spruce and fir wood was also used for the wall panelling, made in our factory in Markdorf. In the large coffee kitchen, the central meeting point for employees, oiled surfaces provide a cosy atmosphere.
One challenge: the entire assembly of the 1400 square metre area took place within four weeks. “The lean management method helped us a lot,” says Ludwig, “because many different trades had to be coordinated.” This method, in which everyone involved in the process meets twice a week to discuss the previous three days, was new to some of the Swiss tradespeople. “We were able to keep to the schedule well as a result,” says Ludwig.
