The Schüco Campus. Renovation. Extension. Newbuild.

A gateway to the Schüco world

In future, the new Schüco One building will create a direct link to the former headquarters via a "glass bridge". The way the two buildings interact with one another creates a gateway to the Schüco world: Schücostraße here forms an axis that connects the company headquarters with the Logistics Centre, along with the Schüco Welcome Forum and the car park.

Architecturally speaking, the new building also blends in with the Schüco Campus as its design mirrors the heights and vanishing lines of the surrounding buildings.

New spaces for greater individuality

The new Schüco One building gives our colleagues the opportunity to work in ways which best suit them. They have the freedom to work in different ways: a freely accessible ground floor with an open reception, flexible conference rooms for seminars and meetings, as well as separate areas along the outer façade where people can work without being disturbed or make phone calls.

The aim of the architects is to create spaces in all areas of the building which encourage people to communicate and exchange knowledge. There are therefore deliberately no corridors in the building: colleagues move in a loop around the central atrium, creating a continuous flow without any dead ends.

Want to work here? Then check out our jobs board. 

A technological masterpiece

The architecturally sophisticated new Schüco One building is being constructed using Schüco system solutions. Here we are highlighting the technical and aesthetic possibilities of modern façade technology. The high degree of prefabrication of the façade ensured that it could be installed on schedule. The main façade with its six upper floors is based on the Schüco AWS 75.SI+ window system.

The façade has been designed as a special construction with a 90 mm basic depth and achieves the desired U value of 1.0 W/(m²K). The alternating fixed glazed units, side-hung windows with limiting stays and solid panels give the façade a sort of rhythm as well as its shape.

Green façade

In the entrance area on the ground floor, a section of green façade separates Schüco One from the existing building. It emphasises the sustainable nature of this construction project. The Schüco Green Façade system solution was used, in which plants take root and grow in a fleece-based material filled with substrate.

The transparent plinth on the ground floor consists of various Schüco façade systems. The FWS 50 mullion/transom façade with the highest thermal insulation properties was used in the curved areas as well as in front of the rooms on the east side, while the FWS 35 PD Panorama Design façade was used on the flat areas next to the main entrance.

A minimalist look combined with perfect sun shading properties

The glass roof of the atrium can be individually darkened thanks to the switchable, electrochromic glass SageGlass®, ensuring a pleasant temperature and glare protection inside the building all year round – without impeding the view outside. This further improves energy efficiency and user comfort – for sustainable and sophisticated architecture.

The electrically-operated and system-integrated Schüco Integralmaster glare protection ensures that the workspaces remain free from glare in accordance with workplace guidelines. The external Schüco CSB sun shading on rollers ensures that the interior is provided with shade from the first to the sixth floor as well as on parts of the ground floor. Its guide track is concealed in the profile and a clear view of the outdoors is guaranteed at all times – even when the blinds are completely lowered.

Much more than a showroom

The development of the Welcome Forum from the original showroom is reflected not only in the extension of the spaces, but also in the concept of a holistic visitor experience. In future, visitors to the Bielefeld Campus will not only see the newest innovations in our technology and services, they will also have the opportunity to learn about our impressive Schüco machinery in the separate Fabrication Showroom. Accompanying information about the company's history and the Schüco brand will give guests a comprehensive brand experience, rounded off with a trip to one of our adjacent cafés where they are invited to stay a while. 

Sustainable renovation at the Schüco Campus

In 2020, the building's old aluminium façade was dismantled as part of a comprehensive renovation project. The project served as a reference building for a study by the EA (European Aluminium) to confirm the high recycling rates of aluminium removed from buildings that are being dismantled. In total, the building's outer envelope contained more than 28 tonnes of aluminium. Around 98% of the material was collected when the building was dismantled and was then fed back into the closed-loop recycling process, so that it can be used in future to create new aluminium products of the same quality.

Industrial charm retained

Even after the conversion, the aim was to keep as much of the history of the old building as possible. With the new design, its identity as a former industrial production hall has been highlighted. Accordingly, selected elements were retained or adapted on the inside, continuing its 'engineering' look and feel, with exposed fixtures and surface-mounted cabling with tubes and clamps made from steel. 
 

The old industrial flooring was refurbished, albeit the original floor markings were kept. Their yellow colour is reflected in matching design accents on the walls. Apart from this, the colour palette of Digital Hub One is dominated by muted colours from neutral to dark grey in combination with a great deal of black.

Der alte Industrieboden wurde aufgearbeitet, die Bodenmarkierungen dabei bewahrt. Sie werden in passenden gelben Akzenten an den Wänden aufgegriffen. Ansonsten bestimmen gedeckte Farben von neutral bis dunkelgrau in Kombination mit viel Schwarz die Farbwelt des Digital Hub One.

The lifecycle at a glance: Cradle to Cradle

From building to raw material stockpile of the future. Even when the new windows and doors were installed, Schüco had its sights set firmly on tomorrow – and the recyclability of the building at the end of its lifecycle. Recyclable Schüco aluminium products were therefore used, which can be kept in a continuous recycling loop in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle principle. On the ground floor, the AWS 75.SI+ window system was installed, which is Cradle to Cradle Silver certified. Both stairwells were fitted with the FWS 35 PD.HI mullion/transom construction, a Panorama Design façade which also holds the Cradle to Cradle Silver certificate.

The changes on the inside are more than just construction measures. The new architecture in Digital Hub One has created a completely new working culture, a different way of working together. 159 fixed and many temporary workstations have been created on the ground floor and on the two full upper levels. The overall area of the building has been divided into zones in order to meet various different working requirements. Both dynamic teamwork and quiet, concentrated work are equally possible. To achieve this, open working spaces alternate with glazed but closed meeting areas, telephone booths and whiteboard nooks.