Laying of the foundation stone for the new HeidelbergCement headquarters
f.l.t.r. André Friedel (AS+P), Axel Bienhaus (AS+P), Tobias Walter (W+), Steffen Benz (HeidelbergCement AG), Kathrin Gallus (AS+P)
In Heidelberg, a ceremony involving the symbolic laying of the foundation stone marked the start of construction work on the new HeidelbergCement AG headquarters according to a design by AS+P
Some 90 guests attended, to see how the construction work is progressing, and witness CEO Dr. Bernd Scheifele and CFO Dr. Lorenz Näger, as well Mayor Prof. Eckart Würzner and Axel Bienhaus, managing partner at AS+P, seal the time capsule placed inside the foundation stone.
With room for 800 to 1,000 employees, the new HeidelbergCement headquarters should be ready for occupancy in 2020. The cost of the new building is estimated to be less than 100 million euros. It will comprise an ensemble of three interlocked structures of different heights and with inside courtyards. Internally, a connecting main corridor, together with special zones and the entrance hall make for a particularly communicative working environment.
With its curved facade, the design, with which AS+P won out in a competition against strong rivals, and which was planned as a 3D BIM model, reveals the lightness and diversity that is possible with concrete. This way the building materials HeidelbergCement AG itself produces were put to effective use both on the inside and outside.
Furthermore, sustainability and efficiency also play an important role both in the new building itself and the running of it. The aim is for the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) to certify the building as complying with its Platinum standard, the highest certification category. To this end the economic quality, sociocultural and functional standards, technical quality and process quality of the construction project are evaluated.
View from Berliner Straße on the planned new headquarters for HeidelbergCement, © AS+P Albert Speer + Partner GmbH, visualization: HH Vision
