New Corporate Headquarters for the Koelnmesse, Design for a VgV process

A new building for the future: integration and sustainability in focus
The headquarters are currently located in a building that neither meets the needs of the Koelnmesse nor reflects its vision for the future. The projected new building on the site of the existing Hall 3 of the trade fair complex in Cologne is required to merge seamlessly into its surroundings, while acting as a landmark and also comprehensively addressing a range of ESG factors. In order to do justice to this task, ATP architects engineers designed a self-confident volume that provides the best basis for achieving the desired DGNB platinum certification and offering 750 employees of the Koelnmesse a bright, friendly, and flexible working environment.

Confident design for a modern workplace
The unconventional structure is quite unlike any residential or office building. Rather, it is a large, robust form, which inserts itself autonomously into the complex and reflects the external vocabulary of the trade fair buildings. The basic rectangular structure of the volume is softened by recesses containing green courtyards that are cut into its longitudinal facades. These enable the employees to benefit from large amounts of daylight, a pleasant interior climate, and views of this greenery. Measures derived from the EU Green Deal are also reflected in the design: The resulting low-CO₂ building methods, solar protection measures, and photovoltaic systems significantly reduce emissions and energy demand and consumption. The building enjoys a high recognition level thanks to the powerful grid structure of the prefabricated glass-fiber reinforced concrete facade. This wraps around the entire volume in order to guarantee a homogenous and strongly brand-defining external image for the Koelnmesse. The timber-aluminum post & rail structure behind this facade ensures the separation of outside and inside. In contrast with this external appearance, the timber elements of the interior create a warm and friendly atmosphere as a working and living space for the employees of the headquarters. 

Functionally integrated
The building is functionally organized: The basement contains space for an underground garage and plant rooms while the ground floor is home to a central kitchen that is dimensioned to meet the needs of the infrastructure of the trade fair. A generous bridge leads from the southern entrance to the fair to the first floor of the building with its foyer, food court, and imposing three-story entrance atrium. The upper three stories contain flexibly laid out areas for open-plan offices and a range of meeting and discussion spaces.