A next generation working environment. Zalando BHQ-Z Building by HENN

The z-shaped plan of the HENN team building is a contemporary twist. on the traditional Berliner block. The interior courtyard, normally a private space, playfully shifts to the perimeter of the site to create an inviting and dynamic street frontage. The building’s courtyards appear as excavations from the building’s massing. Wrapped in highly-transparent glass, the building’s distinctive voids enter into a dialogue with the neighboring buildings and urban context.

The two spiraling atriums organize the office physically and conceptually. The full-height atrium, located directly across from BHQ-X, is open and accessible to the public; the second atrium, which is open from the third floor to the top floor, will be used primarily by employees and collaborators. Together, they create an open and communicative space with a high degree of visual and physical connection between the floors.

Occupants circulate through the center of the building, at the pinch point between the two voids. This area is the social heart of the building, while quieter, more secluded spaces are located along the periphery of the floors. The facade reflects the interior organization with a gradient from more traditional windows at the workstations to full transparency at the atriums.

The BHQ-Z Building relies on three-dimensional space, rather than interior partitions, to create different zones of use and organize workspaces. The architecture translates the digital commons of the internet into a physical workplace, allowing for the effortless flow of information and exchange of ideas. The design is the result of HENN’s decades of expertise designing future-oriented work environments and the firm’s concept of Office Urbanism. Office Urbanism understands the office as a kind of micro-city; a flexible setting for a wide range of activities, with a gradient from private spaces to more public ones, enabling workers to participate in the urban life all around them.