Attractive working environment at MesseCity Cologne

For Zurich Insurance, lighting quality is part of the health concept

Headquarters of the Zurich Group Germany, Cologne, Germany

Ownership
STRABAG Real Estate GmbH and ECE Group GmbH & Co. KG
Architecture
Façade: KSP Engel GmbH, Brunswick; Kubatur: Astoc Architects and Planners GmbH, Cologne, and O&O Baukunst, Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH, Cologne; interiordesign: AUKETT + HEESE GmbH, Frankfurt am Main
Lighting design
Regent Lighting, Düsseldorf (Workplaces of Zurich Insurance)
Photography
© Jörg Seiler, Cologne
When designing the working environment for a headcount of around 2,800 in its new Rhineland headquarters, the Zurich Group opted for a state-of-the-art lighting solution: the freestanding luminaires LIGHTPAD Office by Regent Lighting provide healthy lighting that promotes concentration. Also, the ALONEatWORK® communication system ensures a good feeling in the morning and evening hours.

"We want to set an example in the industry and position ourselves as an attractive employer with modern working environments," says Christoph Graumann, Head of Corporate Real Estate & Workplace Services at Zurich Group Germany. "Our light-flooded open-space offices at MesseCity Cologne are a healthy, productive and pleasant working environment that also enables us to attract new talents," he explains.

In workshops, the employees were taught that lighting bright as daylight helps them focus on their work and that it is healthy because the eyes get less tired. The freestanding luminaires distribute direct and indirect light very evenly both on the work surfaces and on ceilings and walls. All LIGHTPAD Office luminaires can be individually dimmed according to the respective area situation - at the workstations, automatic controls support the well-being of the employees. If the integrated motion sensor registers a longer period of absence, the luminaires return to standard-compliant 500 lux intensity. To ensure consistent illuminance at height-adjustable desks, the LIGHTPAD freestanding luminaire automatically regulates the amount of light shining downwards.

Those who start work early in the morning or stay late in the evening do not sit in their working space as if under a spotlight amid darkness. The luminaires in the immediate vicinity, networked by the ALONEatWORK® communication module (swarm function), provide a brighter area all around, which makes them feel better. Christoph Graumann is more than satisfied: "I am extremely enthusiastic about this technology. The overall package of homogeneous illumination, daylight and motion sensor as well as swarm function makes the luminaires very attractive. Now other locations want them too."

Dr. Andreas Gutbier, who was responsible for the technical service providers in the project management team, searched intensively for the optimal freestanding luminaires. The CEO of G5 GmbH was only satisfied when he saw a sampling of LIGHTPAD: "The product by Regent Lighting is expensive in market comparison, but worth its price. It is the highest quality product we could find in our market research," says Gutbier. Thanks to specially developed microprisms, the LED luminaires offer asymmetrical light distribution both downwards and upwards. Gutbier explains why this is a great advantage: "This means that a LIGHTPAD positioned to the side of the desk can illuminate the entire working surface homogeneously - without creating shadows in spots where, for example, documents are placed. The indirect light component shining upwards also ensures uniform brightness and thus a calm ceiling area."

Ralf Piotrowski, Regional Sales Manager NRW South at Regent Lighting, was on site as the designated contact person for construction meetings and sampling, coordinating the delivery of the goods, the installation by a specialised team and the functional testing and approval of each individual luminaire. He sees the partnership-based cooperation with all the people involved, including the POT consulting team responsible for the approval, as a decisive factor in this lighthouse project. Piotrowski concludes: "It was a fair, mindful and respectful interaction that led us to success."