Karlsruhe – The site fence has been erected and planning is under way at full speed. weisenburgers headquarters will relocate from Rastatt to Ludwig-Erhardt-Allee in Karlsruhe in 2020. A new seven story building will house office spaces as well as a planning and a building materials display centre over a plot of 13,000 square metres; the complex has been designed by world-famous, Pritzker Award-winning architect Tadao Ando.
The specifications for the new corporate headquarters reflect weisenburger's corporate philosophy – clean lines, efficiency and innovation. In addition, the buildings will feature concrete as the main building material. It quickly became clear that the architect to design the project could only be Tadao Ando. weisenburger had approached the architect back in 2014, but received a polite refusal. Nevertheless, weisenburger spared no effort and persevered in winning over the famous architect for its project and for Karlsruhe. It took seven attempts to finally arrange a personal meeting in Osaka, Japan. Shortly afterwards, Ando accepted the invitation for a return visit, when the foundation for cooperation was laid.
Tadao Ando about weisenburger's new headquarters: “I think of a building being created in a triangular constellation, which means that something good will be created from the interaction of three elements such as the ambition of the client, the skills of construction technology and the persuasiveness of the design.” He continues: “I want to create a building that values efficiency, well-being and vision.” Tadao Ando thereby combines a pleasant working environment and forward-looking architecture with the simplicity of exposed concrete and the surroundings – always taking into account the environment and nature. Managing Director Nicolai Weisenburger explains: “Our vision is to be the driving force of affordable building. To achieve this we need a strong team. Therefore, we also wish to create the best working environment for the best employees.” As a master of minimalism, Tadao Ando is able to reduce architecture to its essentials. He took on the challenge to build a headquarters complex in which all weisenburger employees, including commercial staff, engineers and craftsmen feel at home and which also welcomes customers and visitors, since the new company headquarter aims to pool resources by integrating the existing Karlsruhe offices and the baustein building materials display centre.
The location on the north side of Ludwig-Erhard-Allee, one of the most important approaches to the city, perfectly meets the requirements of the weisenburger group of companies. Excellent conditions for employees exist as they easily reach the A5 and A8, have fast access to public transport and can find sufficient parking spaces in two underground parking decks. Many of the approx. 300 employees are also already very familiar with the buildings directly opposite the “City Park”. During the last 10 years weisenburger has built or participated in building 1,400 apartments there. In addition to its attractive infrastructure, Karlsruhe also offers the right environment for developing the company further and enabling it to actively shape its future. The proximity to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences provides a perfect setting to recruit qualified employees, especially outstanding civil engineers. In addition, the so-called “TechnologieRegion” is one of the most successful business locations in Europe – a perfect place to set up an innovation centre for affordable construction.
“The settlement of weisenburger bau GmbH in Ludwig-Erhard-Allee is a real benefit for Karlsruhe as a business location,” says Karlsruhe Lord Mayor, Dr Frank Mentrup, enthused that a traditional company with six decades of successful evolution is coming to town. The fact that the internationally renowned architect Tadao Ando has also been won over to design the new building additionally ensures that this important city approach will feature an example of first-class architecture.