Main Entrance

The impressive main entrance of HDI Headquarters, designed by Christoph Ingenhoven, showcasing a contemporary design with high-quality materials and a welcoming approach

Main Entrance

The impressive main entrance of HDI Headquarters, designed by Christoph Ingenhoven, showcasing a contemporary design with high-quality materials and a welcoming approach

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PROJECTS / HDI HEADQUARTERS

Modern Workspaces with a flexible Structure

The new HDI-Gerling insurance headquarters in Hanover, Northern Germany, consolidates 1,800 employees from seven locations into a single, elevated six-story office building, surrounded by a green “carpet” of landscaped ribbons. The design by Christoph Ingenhoven was selected from a 2008 architectural competition involving five invited firms.

A central atrium, measuring 51 by 51 meters and usable for large events, serves as the transparent heart of the building. Around this atrium, three identical vertical circulation cores with panoramic lifts and U-shaped office wings are arranged. The building’s façades feature strip windows and stainless steel-clad parapets that reflect the surrounding greenery. The ground floor houses the lobby, a conference center, and the casino, and the roof is designed to be usable.

Modern, flexible workspaces are provided throughout the building, offering a non-hierarchical environment. Except for inner partition walls, the offices have glass façades, and a maximum of six employees share one office. The lighting system is regulated by daylight sensors and motion detectors. Energy is primarily sourced from a geothermal plant (80%) and district heat (20%), with cooling required only in extreme temperatures. During spring and autumn, the ventilation system is not used. Thermal activation of the slabs and parapets ensures a comfortable temperature, while a heat exchanger and the atrium function as thermal buffers to further reduce energy consumption.

Office spaces at HDI Headquarters designed by Christoph Ingenhoven, flexible layouts and advanced technology.

Sustainable design at HDI Headquarters by Christoph Ingenhoven, energy-efficient systems and eco-friendly technologies

Fresh air is brought in through pipes in the foundation, utilizing two giant rotary heat exchangers with "desiccant and evaporative cooling" technology. During summer, affordable district heat is used to warm exhaust air, allowing fresh air to be dehumidified by the heat exchanger. Fresh air enters the offices through a raised floor, and exhausted air is removed from hallways to the atrium, enabling the conditioned air to also ventilate the atrium.

Jenny Holzer, LED light strips, transparent ceiling

Two LED light strips with texts by the world-renowned conceptual artist Jenny Holzer hang down from the transparent ceiling. The strips are each about one meter wide but differ in length: one is approximately 16 meters long, while the other measures over 21 meters. Despite their lengths, they don't reach the floor, as the atrium has a clear height of five stories.
Hundreds of English sentences run consecutively on the LED strips. These sentences come from series that Jenny Holzer has been developing over many years. The series featured here are "Truisms," "Living," and "Survival," created between 1977 and 1985 and continuously recombined. The statements, some of which have gained worldwide recognition, are deliberately striking. They are condensed sayings from common speech, collected and reformulated by the artist, or written by her, but do not necessarily reflect her personal opinion. Among the statements are phrases such as "The beginning of the war will be secret" and "Eating too much is criminal."

The sustainable design adheres to the DGNB Green Building Standard “gold.” Offices are equipped with triple glazing and high-quality thermal insulation in the sill areas. The primary energy demand for heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting is kept below 100 kWh/sq m/a.