Here we at Implenia Holzbau were allowed to get really creative: The "Connect" floor of Implenia's headquarters, which has been in place since September 2021, represents a world first and is 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 will learn everything about this very special heart project.
The "Connect" floor is of course a dream project for the timber construction department. We had the opportunity to cooperate with our esteemed colleagues from other areas of the company, and we were also able to make a particularly intensive contribution in terms of sustainable innovation and freedom of design. We are proud and grateful for this unique opportunity.
A showcase project with clear guidelines
From the very beginning, there was a clear goal: a completely new office environment was to be created that would facilitate the most modern types of collaboration. It had to be solidly planned and aesthetically pleasing. Particularly important for the project was also the possibility of flexibly laying WLAN and power connections. And in keeping with the commitment to sustainability, ecologically sound materials were desired wherever possible. First and foremost, of course - our wood.
Established wooden flooring approaches were not enough.
The special demands to which our umbrella company is committed for its employees AND sustainability required a high degree of innovation. This is because conventional wooden floors from other suppliers are usually laid and glued in a fixed position, which neither meets our demands for sustainability nor allows for later ease of use and flexible routing of connections and cables.
Glamorous inspiration
So how can wooden flooring solutions be modern, sustainable and flexible? Together with Studio Hürlemann and the "Connect" project management, we found the starting point at the factory of crystal giant Swarovski in Austria. Now the real task began - adaptation to our requirements, because a floor with our concrete ideas did not exist on the market until then.
Our solution: glue-free to the circular economy
The upper floor layer made of birch plywood is fixed to the subfloor with 12 screws per panel and can thus be replaced flexibly. Around 10% of the panels have milled outlets for cables, which can be easily (and also subsequently!) pulled through the floor if required, thus ensuring the necessary flexibility. "By deliberately dispensing with adhesives and using screw connections when installing the floors, we are consistently following the principle of circular economy," explains Christian Müller, head of joinery.
Figures that inspire
We prove that state-of-the-art, adaptive solutions are also possible for wooden floors: The result has literally been at the feet of the more than 600 employees who have their workplace in the new Implenia headquarters since September 2021. 80 tonnes of wood are contained in the approximately 7,000) floor elements made of light birch wood. They each measure 120 x 120 cm and cover a total of 10,000 square metres of office space.
By the way: We are hiring!
Are you interested in a job at Implenia Holzbau? Then why not visit our careers portal right now - we always offer numerous attractive and innovative jobs for beginners and professionals. We look forward to hearing from you!
