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Our timber construction

Boden Headquarters Connect

Innovation—at every turn.

Here at Implenia Holzbau, we were able to get really creative: The floor at Implenia’s “Connect” headquarters, which has been in place since September 2021, is a world first and the result of an intensive planning and testing phase. Our solution combines flexibility, modern aesthetics, and sustainability—and also provides us with fascinating new insights for future projects. In this article, you’ll learn everything about this very special project close to our hearts.

The “Connect” floor has, of course, marked the start of a dream project for timber construction. We had the opportunity to collaborate with our valued colleagues from other areas of the company, and we were also able to contribute particularly intensively in terms of sustainable innovation and creative freedom. We are proud and grateful for this unique opportunity. 
 

A flagship project with clear guidelines

From the very beginning, there was a clear goal: to create a completely new office environment that facilitates the most modern forms of collaboration. It was to be structurally sound and aesthetically appealing. Another key aspect of the project was the ability to flexibly install Wi-Fi and power outlets. And in keeping with our commitment to sustainability, environmentally responsible materials were preferred wherever possible. First and foremost, of course—our wood. 
 

Conventional wood flooring solutions were not sufficient.

The specific requirements to which our parent company is committed—both for its employees AND for sustainability—demanded a high degree of innovation. This is because conventional wood floors from other suppliers are usually permanently installed and glued down, which neither meets our sustainability standards nor allows for ease of use or the flexible installation of connections and cables down the line.
 

Glamorous Inspiration

So how can wooden flooring solutions be designed to be modern, sustainable, and flexible? Together with Studio Hürlemann and the “Connect” project management team, we found our starting point at the Swarovski Crystal World in Austria. Now the real challenge began—adapting the design to our requirements, since a flooring solution that exactly matched our specific vision did not yet exist on the market. 
 

Our solution: Adhesive-free for a circular economy

The top floor layer, made of birch plywood, is secured to the subfloor with 12 screws per panel, allowing for flexible replacement. About 10% of the panels feature milled openings for cables, which can be easily routed through the floor as needed (even retroactively!), ensuring the necessary flexibility. “By deliberately avoiding adhesives and using screw fasteners during floor installation, we consistently adhere to the principles of the circular economy,” explains Christian Müller, Head of the Carpentry Shop.
 

Impressive figures

We’re proving that state-of-the-art, adaptive solutions are also possible for wood floors: Since September 2021, the result has literally been at the feet of the more than 600 employees who work at the new Implenia headquarters. The approximately 7,000 floor panels, made of light birch wood, contain 80 metric tons of wood. Each panel measures 120 x 120 cm and together they cover a total of 10,000 square meters of office space.

The “Connect” flooring has, of course, marked the start of a dream project for wood construction. We had the opportunity to collaborate with our valued colleagues from other divisions of the company, and we were also able to contribute particularly actively in the areas of sustainable innovation and creative freedom. We are proud and grateful for this unique opportunity.

A flagship project with clear specifications

From the very beginning, there was a clear goal: to create a completely new office environment that would enable the most modern forms of collaboration. It had to be structurally sound and aesthetically appealing. Another key aspect of the project was the ability to flexibly install Wi-Fi and power outlets. And in keeping with our commitment to sustainability, environmentally responsible materials were preferred wherever possible. First and foremost, of course—our wood.

Conventional wood flooring solutions were not sufficient.

The specific requirements to which our parent company is committed—both for its employees AND for sustainability—demanded a high degree of innovation. This is because conventional wood floors from other suppliers are usually permanently installed and glued down, which neither meets our sustainability standards nor allows for ease of use later on or the flexible routing of connections and cables.

Glamorous Inspiration

So how can wooden flooring solutions be designed to be modern, sustainable, and flexible? Together with Studio Hürlemann and the “Connect” project management team, we found our starting point at the Swarovski Crystal Giant factory in Austria. Now the real challenge began—adapting the design to our requirements, since a floor that met our specific vision did not yet exist on the market.

Our solution: Adhesive-free for a circular economy

The top floor layer, made of birch plywood, is secured to the subfloor with 12 screws per panel, allowing for flexible replacement. About 10% of the panels feature milled cutouts for cables, which can be easily routed through the floor as needed (even retroactively!), ensuring the necessary flexibility. “By deliberately avoiding the use of adhesives and relying on screw connections during floor installation, we are consistently adhering to the principles of the circular economy,” explains Christian Müller, Head of the Carpentry Shop.

Impressive figures

We’re proving that state-of-the-art, adaptive solutions are also possible for wooden floors: Since September 2021, the result has literally been at the feet of the more than 600 employees who work at the new Implenia headquarters. The approximately 7,000 floor panels made of light birch wood contain 80 metric tons of wood. Each panel measures 120 x 120 cm and together they cover a total of 10,000 square meters of office space.

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