Although one of the giants of the European economy, Unilever is not all that well-known despite being represented on retail shelves by a huge assortment of products. The Unilever product range includes such disparate items as scouring powder, ice cream, mini salamis and deodorant, and yet the company has lacked its own public identity. Rectifying this situation, at least in Hamburg, was one of the main aims of Behnisch Architekten, the winners of the competition to plan the new Unilever Headquarters. Strandkai 1, the company’s new postal address, is right at the centre of the HafenCity development site and at the same time directly on the banks of the Elbe.
From here the company will direct its German, Swiss and Austrian future. The office building is one of the first buildings to receive the HafenCity gold environmental label, an award introduced in 2007 which includes criteria such as low primary energy requirements (<100 kWh/m2a) and the preservation of public space. Unilever has opened their new administrative centre to the public with a freely accessible ground floor, where a spa, café and store present the company’s many brands to visitors.
At the centre of the polygonal structure, with seven floors above ground and two floors below, is the atrium, lit by a partly glazed roof. Bridges, ramps and stairways connect the different office spaces with one another. All except one of the glazed areas of the roof face north, whereas the south-facing parts of the roof are closed. The steel trusses of the roof structure span up to 37 m at the widest point, and are composed of an open lattice of tubular beams. Steel sections fixed on top of the primary structure carry the roof glazing.
From here the company will direct its German, Swiss and Austrian future. The office building is one of the first buildings to receive the HafenCity gold environmental label, an award introduced in 2007 which includes criteria such as low primary energy requirements (<100 kWh/m2a) and the preservation of public space. Unilever has opened their new administrative centre to the public with a freely accessible ground floor, where a spa, café and store present the company’s many brands to visitors.
At the centre of the polygonal structure, with seven floors above ground and two floors below, is the atrium, lit by a partly glazed roof. Bridges, ramps and stairways connect the different office spaces with one another. All except one of the glazed areas of the roof face north, whereas the south-facing parts of the roof are closed. The steel trusses of the roof structure span up to 37 m at the widest point, and are composed of an open lattice of tubular beams. Steel sections fixed on top of the primary structure carry the roof glazing.