Spaces for Knowledge and Growth

Interviews about the office buildings and headquarters of tomorrow

Spaces for knowledge and growth

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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• office, noun 1. a building that belongs to a company or organisation, with rooms where people can work at desks - Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Spaces for knowledge and growth Henning Larsen Architects is behind the development of numerous innovative corporate headquarters and office buildings, based on the vision of designing spaces for knowledge and growth. For all businesses, activating knowledge across the organisation is essential.

It is essential for the efficiency and productivity of an organiation that the employees have the possibility to change between different work environments for different job tasks during the day. An office building should provide spaces for focused, individual work; spaces for informal meetings and creativity; flexible spaces for organised meetings; spaces for relaxation etc. A flexible design ensures a building that can accomodate the changing needs of the organisation in the future.

Ensuring a healthy indoor climate and good work environment forms a natural part of our sustainability strategy, in both large and small projects. Our specialists continuously work to optimise the buildings' energy performance, economic and social qualities already in the earliest design stages - based on state-of-the-art research and knowledge.

Architecture has great influence on the development of society. Through architecture, companies can assume social responsibility for the society that they form part of.

Spaces for knowledge and growth

The design of Henning Larsen Architects' educational buildings are based on this knowledge. Impulses from our physical surroundings, from the city and from other people, are decisive for a creative and innovative learning environment. When we design offices and corporate headquarters, we draw on this experience. Architecture should set the employees free and provide room for them to inspire each other.

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Work assignments are increasingly detached from time and place, from offices and departments. Meetings can take many shapes, and informal and planned meetings complement each other. New ideas are born when the knowledge of an orgnisation is activated. Changing settings stimulate our creativity and diversify traditional thinking. Architecture can serve as a manifestation of an organisation's culture and identity .

Spaces for knowledge and growth

4| EDITING + TEXT: Josefine Lykke Jensen LAYOUT: Thomas Joakim Winther TRANSLATION: Cecilie Qvistgaard PHOTOS Agnete Schlichtkrull (cover, pp 5, 11, 31), Cordelia Ewerth (pp 8,9), Kontraframe (pp 6, 7) Other illustrations: Henning Larsen Architects TIME LINE Galleria degli Uffizi; Giorgio Vasari et al., photo: Samuli Lintula Larkin Building; Frank Lloyd Wright, photo: Wikimedia Commons Woolworth Building; Cass Gilbert, photo: Velvet Empire State Building; Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, photo: Kadellar Seagram Building; Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson, photo: Tom Ravenscroft Bank of Denmark; Arne Jacobsen, Dissing+Weitling photo: gcbb BMW HQ; Karl Schwanzer, photo: Cccc3333 Lloyd's London; Richard Rogers, photo: Sue Adair SAS Headquarters; Niels Torp, photo: Holger Ellgaard Dentsu Building; Jean Nouvel, photo: Tyoron2 Apple HQ; Sobrato Development Company, photo: Kristen Nicole PricewaterhouseCoopers; Renzo Piano, Christopher Kohlbecker, photo: Andreas Steinhoff Gherkin Building; Foster + Partners, Ken Shuttleworth photo: Andy Wright Burj Khalifa; Adrian Smith, William F. Baker, George J. Efstathiou, Marshall Strabala photo: Imre Solt CCTV; OMA photo: Christian Nesset One World Trade Center; Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, photo: Joe Woolhead Apple HQ; Foster + Partners, illustration: Foster + Partners COLLABORATORS Crystal Towers; Thornton Tomasetti, Hoare Lea Consulting Engineers, Geoffrey Barnett Associates Egedal City Hall and Health Centre; SLA, Henrik Larsen Consulting Engineers, Jørgen Nielsen Consulting Engineers, Züblin Energinet.dk Office Building; Dahl Entreprise, Schul Landscape Architects, Hansen, Carlsen & Frølund Consulting Engineers NCC Headquarters; NCC Property Development, FutureBuilt New Main EPO; BAM / Ballast, Arup, Topotek1 Nordea Bank Ørestad North; SLA, Signal Architects Novo Nordisk Corporate Centre; SLA, Alectia Siemens HQ; Topotek1, Werner Sobek, Transsolar, PMI, Müller BBM, AG Licht, CL MAP Spiegel HQ; Höhler+Partner, WES & Partner Landschaftsarchitekten, Ingenieurbüro Dr. Binnewies, DS-Plan, Schlegel und Reußwig, Kardorff Ingenieure Lichtplanung, Ippolito Fleitz Group Viborg City Hall; Cowi, LiW Planning

Contents Contents Interview: Spaces for knowledge and growth

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Louis Becker, Partner and Director, Henning Larsen Architects, takes stock of the architectural development of the office building and draws a picture of the future.

p. 13

New Main EPO

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History of the office building Overview of the historical development of the office building from the first office building, Uffizi Gallery, in Florence until today.

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Time line

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Relation to the city

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Nordea Bank Ă˜restad North

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Interview: Design with knowledge The Department of Sustainability works with both new buildings and renovation projects. Signe Kongebro tells about the newest trends in sustainable office design.

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Microsoft HQ

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50 years' experience Henning Larsen Architects has designed corporate headquarters and office buildings all over the world for more than 50 years. The time line provides an overview of the diverse range of projects.

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About Henning Larsen Architects

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p. 17

p. 33

p. 37

p. 44

Contents

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Siemens HQ

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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Location: Viborg, Denmark Construction period: 2009 - 2011 Gross floor area: 19,400 m2 Viborg City Hll is designed as 'a city within the city', as a symbol of the new municipal community that was established in the wake of the municipal merger in 2007. It is Denmark's first low-energy city hall.

Viborg City Hall

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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Location: Ballerup, Denmark Construction period: 2010 - 2011 Gross floor area: 4,000 m2 Energinet.dk's new office building in Ballerup, on the outskirts of Copenhagen, is a genuine low-energy house. The lowest energy class has been achieved exclusively by means of optimising the design and geometry.

The office building consists of three main elements: meeting facilities, an atrium and workstations.

Energinet.dk Energinet.dk

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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Location: Hamburg, Germany Construction period: 2008 - 2011 Gross floor area: 50,000 m2 Spiegel HQ consolidates the various departments of the Spiegel Group in a new modern and flexible building volume. The building complex consists of three large glass volumes, placed on a joint tile base. Spiegel HQ has been awarded a Gold Medal in HafenCity's ambitious sustainability certification scheme 'HafenCity Umweltzeichen', and the other volume Ericus Contor has achieved the DGNB Gold certification.

Spiegel HQ

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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In recent years, we have seen a trend towards commercial buildings taking more and more after educational buildings. Businesses require work environments centred around knowledge-sharing and knowledge generation.

- Louis Becker, Director and Partner, Henning Larsen Architects

Interview: Spaces for knowledge and growth Corporate headquarters around the world are some of the strongest icons of the 20th century. They not only reflect economic, technological and social developments but also our view on the business community's significance in society. Louis Becker takes stock and draws a picture of the future.

Henning Larsen Architects has designed office buildings and corporate headquarters world-wide through half a century. What is the secret behind successful commercial buildings?

Louis Becker is Director and Partner has been employed in the company since 1989.

Nordea Bank's new headquarters in Ă˜restad, Copenhagen, is organised as a city, offering quiet, more intimate spaces as well as squares and streets full of life and activity.

Nordea Bank's new headquarters in Ă˜restad North, Copenhagen, is a good example of this ambition realised in practice. The building is visually and physically unified in the large atrium where everyone can feel each other's presence, whether participating in a closed meeting or in a large, open workshop. This provides a physical transparency in the organisation, which reflects its corporate values.

Spaces for knowledge and growth

at Henning Larsen Architects. He

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A successful commercial building supports the organisation's dynamics, corporate culture and image. Architecture cannot make a change in itself but it plays an essential role in making change possible. The main change that many businesses aim for at present is to integrate knowledgesharing as a generator for growth in the organisation. One of our main architectural ambitions is to promote knowledge-sharing and social interaction across the organisation. Thus, our commercial buildings are designed around a number of large common, synergy-creating spaces.

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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Another important point is that successful office buildings create spaces for knowledge and growth. In recent years, we have seen a trend towards commercial buildings taking more and more after educational buildings.

Businesses require work environments centred around knowledgesharing and knowledge generation. Thus, we also draw on our experience from educational and research institutions when we design commercial buildings. The two types of organisations can inspire and raise each other to new levels.

You mention that successful commercial buildings offer spaces for knowledge and growth. How does Henning Larsen Architects promote such spaces?

We engage in dialogue with the specific organisation as early in the process as possible. It is essential to balance expectations, but also to discuss and for us to introduce some of our many ideas about good office environments. This applies to all our projects. We are experts in developing architecture, but it is the users who are experts in being users. And then it is our job to balance good architecture against good experiences.

The core of our buildings has always been the meeting between people.

To create a stimulating setting for human activity – as the social and knowledgeable individuals we are, regardless of context. This is also our approach to commercial buildings.

The design of commercial buildings has undergone a tremendous development in the last 50 years. How do today's ideas about successful commercial buildings differ from previous times?

For a long time, office buildings have been designed as small cities within the city. This is for instance illustrated by the choice of names for the various functions, such as 'the square', 'the cafe' and 'the meeting plaza'.

This is still the case, but what has changed is how the small city within the city today becomes fully integrated into the 'real' city. This means that people who do not necessarily work or have business at the company's premises can still use its public functions, shortcuts and meeting places.

Such interaction adds value to both the organisation and the city. A good example is Siemens' new headquarters in Munich. The public 'floor' in the building ensures a continuos flow of people using the building as part of their daily errands in the city. This meets Siemens' wish to signal openness

BANE ANALYSE 1407

ZIEL

Siemens HQ in Munich is situated on the border between the old historic city centre and the museum quarter.

The lower EPISODEN INSPIRIERT VON MÜNCHEN part of the building is publicly accessible and contributes to bringing together the two parts of the city, which used to be sharply KONFIGURATION

separated.

Before

AfterDURCHWEGUNG DURCH SIEMENS-HÖFE

Today, you could not imagine a building that is not based on sustainable principles. To which degree does the increased focus on sustainability influence the design of office buildings?

Sustainability is an essential theme in commercial building. It is both necessary and important to respond to climate change and use of resources, which are at top of the global agenda. Many organisations wish to demonstrate that this is a theme they take seriously. In this context, architecture is an obvious response.

Earlier, sustainability was a very abstract and intangible concept. Today, national and international standards for low-energy building make it possible to very precisely measure the gain of individual sustainable measures. At Siemens HQ, for instance, we have worked intensively with the geometry and angles of the facade to ensure optimal daylight and reduce the use of artificial lighting. This is beneficial to the environment, the economy and the people working in the building. And that is something every business owner can relate to.

Spaces for knowledge and growth

Hence, it is very much about making the headquarters a knowledgesharing base. But it is also about creating a physical framework which the company can identify itself with. A headquarters or office building is still the organisation's physical manifestation – their showroom to the outside FEHLEN world. VON INFORMELLEN URBANEN ATTRAKTOREN

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and desire to share.

The development of corporate headquarters owes to changing ways of working and thinking. We are no longer depending on sitting by a desk. We can go online all over the world as our primary product is our knowledge.

VERBINDUNG

KLONEN DER INNERSTÄDTISCHEN DNA IN DAS SIEMENS-GRUNDSTÜCK ÜBERLAGERUNG DER CHARAKTERISTIKA

Siemens HQ

Where office buildings in recent decades have had a tendency to be isolated outside the cities, Siemens' new headquarters in Munich is situated in the city centre. A publicly accessible ground floor opens up the headquarters and promotes its interaction with the local community.

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Location Munich, Germany Client Siemens Gross floor area 45,000 m2 Construction period 2011 - 2015

The world's largest supplier of sustainable and environmental solutions, Siemens, will move into a new global headquarters in Munich in 2015.

The development of the building has focused on creating a modern work environment for Siemens' employees, while at the same time letting the organisaton give something back to the city in the shape of a vibrant urban space, accessible to everyone.

The new headquarters consists of four rectangular, rounded volumes attached to a central vertical structure that connects the entire building complex. The heart of the building, the atrium, is situated in the middle of the building and is accessible from all sides. The public access to Siemens creates a continuous flow of guests and passers-by and signals that corporate architecture of the 21st century is open and inviting. The top floor is designed to provide the setting for public events, allowing guests to enjoy the skyline of the city.

The central 'Interaction Zone' connects the various office spaces and represents the key concepts behind the organisation of the building – Communication, Interaction and Innovation. In addition, the office levels are connected by bridges, creating a continuous floor stretching through the entire building complex. State-of-the-art energy and climate technologies produced by Siemens are incorporated into the design, which thus also serves to demonstrate the organisation's product portolio.

Siemens HQ

PROJECT FACTS

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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“We are creating a future-oriented symbol of sustainability that will set the standard for advanced urban architecture and innovative, efficient building technology – for the benefit of our employees and the citizens of Munich.”

- CEO Peter Löscher, Siemens

New Main EPO

New Main, the new headquarters of the European Patent Office in Rijswijk, the Netherlands, is a manifestation of the core values of the EPO: Trust, Transparency, Fairness and Respect. The new, dense building structure unites the existing building volumes and New Main.

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Location The Hague, the Netherlands Client European Patent Office Gross floor area 76,800 m2 Design 2013

The building complex consists of a low base comprising public and semipublic functions, a 23-storey-high tower comprising offices and a new park area to the south. The functional layout of the base centres around the new arrivals area.

The tower is organised so that it reflects the requirement for both privacy and interation, two core needs in EPO's work environment. The two reflected modules constituting the majority of the tower are clearly divided into zones for concentrated/focused work in individual cell offices and more open zones for internal communication. The thin 'hinge' connecting the two building volumes allows daylight to pour far into the building and acts as the vertical backbone of the entire structure.

The tower is characterised by two types of facades: a threedimensional facade by the office zones and a smooth, two-dimensional facade by the interaction zones. The sloping windows of the facade have many technical advantages. They help to reduce glaring and excess heat inside the building, while at the same time enhancing the transparency of the building and minimising the need for solar protection.

Rising up 100 metres, New Main will stand out as an icon, not only in the city's skyline but in the entire region. At the same time, the varied building symmetry offers users a magnificent view of the city and open, Dutch landscape from alle floor levels.

Spaces New Main for EPO knowledge and growth

PROJECT FACTS

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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In New Main, the EPO organisation and building are considered as a whole. The flexibility of the new headquarters optimises working procedures and flows and allows the management to use the building as a tool to facilitate various work situations.

- Louis Becker, direktør og partner, Henning Larsen Architects

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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The office building is one of the great icons of the 20th century‌ [As] the most visible index of economic activity, of social, technological, and financial progress, they have come to symbolise much of what this century has been about.

– Francis (Frank) Duffy, Architect and Writer

History of the office building The architectural development of office buildings and corporate headquarters is connected to our approach to business development through the years. Corporate architecture has taken new shapes as business strategies have changed from focusing on cost minimisation to acknowledging the significance of cross-organisational synergy.

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The English term 'office' stems from the term 'Ufficio', which means office. The Uffizi Gallery in Florence is considered as the

The American Model In the beginning of the 20th century, the North-Americans were the first to realise the idea of an actual office building. Frank Lloyd Wright's Larkin Building marked the beginning of what was commonly referred to as white collar factories. The mass-production mindset from the factories was passed on to the new office buildings, but the employees could now assert themselves as clerks dressed in white, without worrying about dirt or sweat caused by hard physcial labour. The Larkin Building in Buffalo, New York, is a good example of some of the earliest office buildings, where the widespread use of supervision, control, hierachy and rank was clearly reflected in the physical appearance of the building.

Mass-production of office buildings truly became a reality in the start of the 21st century in New York and Chicago. The invention of the steel frame structure and elevator made it possible to fully exploit the relatively small plots. It was about making best value for money, and all new office buildings were higher than their predecessors. This led to the development of the skyscraper, which was the preferred commercial typology in the US for a long time.

world's first office building.

History of the office building

The need for a new architectural typology comprising administrative functions alone arose in the wake of the industrialisation in the end of the past century. The economic recovery called for new means of transport and communication which made it possible to separate production and administration. The railway network, the telegraph and later the telephone allowed businesses to place their headquarters in the large cities – far away from the noise and dirt of the factories.

Spaces for knowledge and growth

In the beginning of the 1970s, a new type of office building got its official name. Silicon Valley is the world's first example of a so-called business park, solely serving corporate purposes. Business parks started to rise in the American suburbs as construction costs were lower in these areas compared to in the cities and the possibilities to expand larger. In the business parks, the individual companies were not subject to the planning regulations of the city and were thus free to organise their own territory as desired. Later, the business parks came to Europe, where they are often situated in connection with large infrastructural networks.

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For approx. 100 years, North America and American architects had a leading position in the development of office buildings. The Europeans more or less copied the American high-rises, just in smaller scale. However, this trend started to change in the 1960s.

SAS' headquarters in Stockholm from 1985 was one of Scandinavia's first corporate headquarters organised as a city within the city.

The North European Model With the development of open plan offices in Germany in the 1960s, the Northern Europeans started to overtake the Americans with a new type of office building. Open plan offices were quickly replaced by cell offices again, but the seeds of a more open, flat organisation of the office building had been sowed. In the 1980s, the idea of the office building as an independent 'city within the city' really started to spread in Northern Europe. The inspiration came from the Scandinavian design tradition, and the objective was efficient and satisfied employees.

SAS' headquarters in Stockholm from 1985 is a good example of the Northern European idea. The project is developed as a city structure with a roofed main street, connecting the individual building volumes and functions. Each building volume has its own character and contributes to generating life to the building by means of terraces, balconies and footbridges in various levels. Functions such as swimming pool and sports hall, restaurant and cafĂŠ have been incorporated into the project, fulfilling the vision of an independent city within the city.

The building marked the beginning of an extensive development of office buildings in Scandinavia, based on this exact idea.

A project, based on a similar idea, had been built by Henning Larsen the year before, in 1984, as the company's first office building. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saudi Arabia was recognised for its combination of being a modern 'office machine' and a true representation of Islamic buidling tradition: the garden, water and bazar.

Sketch for Henning Larsen's first realised office building: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Today, a successful office building is not only considered as a static framework for the day-to-day work. Successful commercial buildings should support the corporate culture and brand of the organisation and enhance its relation to the world around it. Relations will be a key work in the office building of the future.

Employees are today considered as one of the company's most important resources, and the fight for well-educated staff is tough. Thus, you could imagine a rising trend for smaller office communities outside the organisation to allow the employees to stay in their local environment.

History of the office building

Office building of the future The development of the office building is naturally related to the way we work. Since the first white collar factories, the office typology has gone through various development stages in the attempt to accommodate changing needs. The structural differences between the American city, which was based on a strict grid, and the European medieval city made the office building develop in different directions. Where the American model sought to adapt the company to the building out of economic considerations, the Europeans took a more human approach and worked to adapt the building to the company.

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As soon as in the beginning of the 1960s, Henning Larsen built on the idea about the building as a city within the city with projects such as Stockholm University and Freie Universit채t in Berlin. The parallel development of educational and commercial buildings has followed the work of Henning Larsen Architects ever since.

Spaces for knowledge and growth

28 | Uffizi Gallery Florence, Italy

Woolworth Building New York, US

1506

Seagram Building New York, US

1954

1913

1905 Larkin Building Buffalo, US

BMW HQ Munich, Germany

1931 Empire State Building New York, US

SAS Headquarters Stockholm, Sweden

1972

1961 Bank of Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark

1986

1986 Lloyd's London, England

Time line The world's first office building was built in Florence in the beginning of the 17th century. However, the office building as we know it today has been developed over the past 150 years. Take a journey through the greatest corporate icons in the US and Europe through the years.

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Dentsu Building Tokyo, Japan

1988

1988 Apple HQ Cupertino, US

PricewaterhouseCoopers Berlin, Germany

2000

Burj Khalifa Dubai, UAE

2010

One World Trade Center New York, US

2013

2003

2012

2014

Gherkin Building London, England

CCTV Beijing, China

Apple HQ Cupertino, US

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Spaces for knowledge and growth

Relation to the city Historically, four office typologies can be identified – primarily differing from each other in their degree of interaction with the surrounding urban space. The office building of the future will hugely benefit from being fully integrated into the city.

Empire State Building in New York was the highest skyscraper world-wide for a short time. The building is situated in the city but appears introvert and closed.

Closed building

Silicon Valley in the US was the world's first business park. Today, it comprises thousands of corporate headquarters, primarily situated as solitary momuments in a large open space encircled by parking spaces, fencing and plantation.

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Business park

middle of the 70s introduced the idea of the office building as a city within the city. The headquarters is situated 7 km from Stockholm Central Station, with both other commercial organisations and residences as neighbours.

City within the city

Henning Larsen Architects works with a new office typology, which integrates the company in the city and vice versa.

By incorporting public functions into the company premises, new opportunities for knowledge-sharing and growth arise.

A part of the city

Relation to the city

SAS' headquarters in Stockholm from the

Nordea Bank

Nordea Bank’s new corporate headquarters in Ørestad North will be situated next to the premises of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation and the Concert Hall. The headquarters will contribute to the development of Ørestad as a vibrant city district in Copenhagen.

33 | Nordea Bank

PROJECT FACTS Location Ørestad North, Copenhagen, Denmark Client Nordea Properties Gross floor area 40,000 m2 Construction period 2013 - 2016

The Nordea building introduces a new scale in Ørestad – a street level connecting the large buildings of the district and the characteristic landscape of Amager Fælled. To the south, the building is characterised by a sophisticated, sloping park landscape and to the north by an open ground floor and tile facades on the lower floors.

The offices are placed upon a base, comprising the common and extrovert functions of the headquarters. This functional layout promotes collaboration, innovation and knowledge-sharing across departments and professional fields. The building is organised as a city – offering quiet, more intimate spaces as well as plazas and streets full of life and activity. The interaction between efficient open plan offices and informal gathering points provides an optimal work environment for the individual employee.

Nordea Bank’s new corporate building lives up to the criteria for LEED Platinum, which is the environmental standard required for all the bank's new developments. Simulations of the energy consumption of the design has been conducted through studies of volumes, materials, room heights, light and shadows, noise and wind as well as the usability of inside and outside spaces. Subsequently, the building’s energy consumption has been further reduced through qualified selection and application of efficient technology.

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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We know that an average knowledge employee only spend approx. 30-50 % of his time by the desk. Therefore, we have focused on providing facilities which also allow for other work situations.

- Søren Ă˜llgaard, Architect and Associate Partner, Henning Larsen Architects

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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The derived effects of a sustainable design and construction process hold far-reaching advantages. Incorporating sustainable solutions in office buildings is reflected positively internally in the organisation and forms the basis of a better dialogue with authorities and other stakeholders.

- Signe Kongebro, Associate Partner and Head of Sustainability, Henning Larsen Architects

Interview: Knowledge-based design Sustainable office building is about much more than technical ventilation solutions and solar cells on the roof. It is also about happy, efficient employees and social responsibility. Signe Kongebro tells about the newest trends in sustainable office design.

How have you experienced the development of sustainability in recent years in relation to office buildings and corporate headquarters, and how does Henning Larsen Architects contribute to this development?

For the past 20 years, office buildings have been characterised by a homogeneous 'glass box aesthetics'. Large, transparent icons have risen all over the world without consideration for regional climate conditions – based on the belief that this type of building symbolised transparency and openness to the outside world. However, the reality is that glass houses are often experienced as very introvert.

If you look at a glass house during the day, it does not appear transparent, but dark. Glass houses reflect the world they actually want to interact with. Further, they are very easily overheated and thus spend a lot of resources on mobile solar protection and cooling. Last, but not least, the architectural quality has become poorer because local materials and building traditions have been forgotten.

Partner and Head of Henning Larsen Architects' Department of Sustainability.

Knowledge-based design

Today, the key to growth is productivity and efficiency, and this is only obtained in office environments where the employees thrive and do not get ill. In sustainable office buildings, we combine measurable sustainable solutions as regards energy consumption and economy and research-based knowledge that we transform into good spaces and healthy buildings. This applies to both new buildings and renovations.

Signe Kongebro is Associate

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As all other sustainable buildings, sustainable office buildings are based on a number of environmental, economic and social considerations. If you unfold the last aspect a bit more, it is about asking yourself questions such as: "How do we make it nice to go to work in this building? Which needs do the individual departments have in relation to space, acoustics and light? Which human values should the architecture support?"

q

Spaces for knowledge and growth

Fortunately, this has changed. Today, we look at each facade separately and place all functions carefully in relation to light and shadow. In this way, we optimise the indoor air quality without necessarily implementing technical cooling and ventilation solutions. This method we call 'knowledge-based design', and this is exactly how we as architects and engineers can contribute to the development of sustainable buildings.

What do companies get out of taking a sustainable approach to building and renovation projects?

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For companies, this is about business. They want to optimise operating and maintenance costs, flexibility and renting expenses. They require measurable solutions right away.

But it is also about knowledge and growth and about attracting and sustaining talented employees and making the most of them. If companies look at the overall economy and factore in future savings in energy consumption and sick days, we achieve a win-win situation for the company and employees as well as for the environment.

FACTS More than 85 % of companies' operating costs are spent on salaries. In comparison, they spend approx. 10 % on rent and less than

Today, most people have realised that sustainability is about more than technology, and that the derived effects of a sustainable design and construction process have far-reaching advantages. Incorporating sustainable solutions in office buildings is reflected positively internally in the organisation in the form of a better work environment and happier employees. It also forms the basis of a better dialogue with authorities and other stakeholders who all have a say when a new office building is designed or an existing one is renovated.

1 % on energy consumption.

Source: RICS. (2010). Is Sustainability Reflected in

Could you provide any specific examples of how to address sustainability issues in the building sector now – and in future?

Commercial Property Prices: An Analysis of the Evidence Base.

Research Report.

When you talk about sustainability and office buildings, the large challenge is that the buildings become overheated. Many people and machines simply generate much heat – and thus, it requires a lot of energy and economic resources to maintain a good indoor air quality. So, it is basically about minimising the need for cooling without use of heavy technical equipment.

Thus, it can be an advantage to place your company in a dense city environment where the surrounding buildings serve as 'free' solar protection.

Microsoft's Danish headquarters will be situated in the heart of Lyngby, north of Copenhagen. The urban context ensures the organisation's interaction with the other businesses in the city as well as the students from the adjacent Technical University of Denmark.

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Seen from an energy perspective, companies are a necessity in the city because they have the opposite needs of the households. However, they are also necessary seen from a social perspective. Today, we see a smooth transition between office space and urban space, achieved by integrating publicly accessible functions and areas into the office buildings. This makes companies truly transparent and demonstrates that they assume responsibility for city life and comfort. In addition to these measures, the employees' contact to the surrounding community is further strengthened by introducing balconies and green roof terraces that integrate the city in the building and vice versa.

Knowledge-based design

In the city, companies are part of an energy circuit – the companies want to dispose of excess heat, and the households want to buy heat. By creating such a circuit, resources are exploited more intensively. It is the same as with parking spaces in the cities, which are filled up by commuters' cars in daytime, while the citizens use them at night time. However, a circuit like this requires that you get an understanding of energy and daylight as common resources, and there are som administrative obstacles to this today.

Microsoft HQ

Microsoft’s new headquarters forms part of the organisation’s overall vision to create the workplace of the future. The employees are supported in their different ways of thinking, working and collaborating through a flexible interior layout, based on state-of-the-art technologies.

In addition to Microsoft's new Danish headquarters, the building complex will comprise student residences and retail facilities. Thus, the project will bring citizens, students and business community close together. The café and technology area will be open to everyone, and there will be a study area in the headquarters allocated for students. Further, Microsoft will regularly hold different kinds of events to connect the company even closer to the local community and Denmark.

The complex as a whole will meet the requirements for modern sustainable buildings. To reduce energy consumption, focus has been on exploiting the passive properties of the building – and for instance, an advanced building envelope offering minimal heat loss, high density and efficient solar protection has been developed.

Henning Larsen Architects' competencies in space planning and interior design have been core to the project development to allow for optimal synergy between interior design and indoor climate. Focus areas include daylight and artificial light, colour and material selection and acoustics.

Microsoft HQ

Location Lyngby, Denmark Client Danica Pension Gross floor area 40,000 m2 Construction period 2013 - 2016

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PROJECT FACTS

As the first place in Europe, Microsoft consolidates its development and sales departments under the same roof in a new headquarters in Lyngby. Henning Larsen Architects and the remaining team of consultants have had a close dialogue with Microsoft during the entire process. This has resulted in an innovative corporate headquarters, offering unique urban spaces and green recreational areas accessible to everyone.

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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In daytime, the open ground floor levels featuring mixed retail options will generate life and activity to the area. In the evening, the intimacy and light created by the residences will ensure a safe and attractive street environment.

- Signe Kongebro, Associate Partner and Head of Sustainability, Henning Larsen Architects

50 years' experience

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Spaces for knowledge and growth

Henning Larsen Architects is behind a number of innovative corporate headquarters and office buildings world-wide. The time line below shows a selection of Henning Larsen Architects' projects through the years. All projects have contributed to the formulation of a clear design philosophy in which knowledge-sharing and social interaction across the organisation are keyworlds.

Trondheim University Trondheim, Norway

1974

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

1963 Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Nation Centre Nairobi, Kenya

1992

Winghouse Ă˜restad, Denmark

2009

2000

1982 Gentofte Library Gentofte, Denmark

Ferring Int. Centre Copenhagen, Denmark

Danish Embassy in Saudi Arabia Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Nordea Bank HQ Christiansbro Copenhagen, Denmark

Multi-Tenant Office Building Odense Harbour Odense, Denmark

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Viborg City Hall Viborg, Denmark

NCC Headquarters Oslo, Norway

Egedal City Hall and Heath Centre Egedal, Denmark

2014

2011

2016

2013 Energinet.dk Office Building Ballerup, Denmark

Crystal Towers Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Microsoft HQ Denmark Lyngby, Denmark

2015 Novo Nordisk Corporate Centre BagsvĂŚrd, Denmark

Siemens HQ Munich, Germany

Nordea Bank HQ Ă˜restad, Denmark

50 years' experience

Spiegel HQ Hamburg, Germany

- Søren Øllgaard, architect and associated partner, Henning Larsen Architects

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Spaces for knowledge and growth

Architecture should create a dynamic setting where people can meet – to create synergy between employees across professional fields and between employees and guests from all over the world. This has been the vision behind the design of the new corporate centre.

Location: Bagsværd, Denmark Construction period: 2011 - 2013 Gross floor area: 50,200 m2 Novo Nordisk Corporate Centre in Bagsværd, Denmark, will house the company's executive management and 1,100 administrative employees.

The architecture is characterised by a simple design and provides a functional and sustainable work environment for the users.

Novo Nordisk

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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Location: Oslo, Norway Construction period: 2011 - 2013 Gross floor area: 12,000 m2

NCC's new headquarters in Oslo is designed in collaboration with NCC Property Development as a modern passive house. The building meets FutureBuilt's criteria for climate-neutral building and will spearhead the development of sustainable projects in Norway.

NCC Oslo

Spaces for knowledge and growth

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Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Construction period: 2009 - 2013 Gross floor area: 93,000 m2

Within the new King Abdullah Financial District in Saudi Arabia’s capital, the Crystal Towers are situated in a unique location between the Financial Plaza - the financial centre of the masterplan - and the Wadi - a verdant pedestrian thoroughfare. The orientation of the two 18 and 26-storey towers is designed to create a visual and physical link between these elements.

Crystal Towers

About Henning Larsen Architects 6 OFFICES

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Spaces for knowledge and growth

230 EMPLOYEES 21 NATIONALITIES PROJECTS IN MORE THAN 20 COUNTRIES

Copenhagen Louis Becker lb@henninglarsen.com Tel: +45 8233 3020 Peer Teglgaard Jeppesen ptj@henninglarsen.com Tel: +45 8233 3025 Søren Øllgaard sop@henninglarsen.com Tel: +45 8233 3076 Anders Sælan as@henninglarsen.com Tel: +45 8233 3075 53 |

Munich Werner Frosch wf@henninglarsen.com Tel: +49(0)89 856 33 38 - 110 Riyadh Niels Fuglsang nf@henninglarsen.com Tel: +966 553 8515 88 Istanbul Anne Marie Galmstrup amg@henninglarsen.com Tel: +90 535 391 8991 Faroe Islands Ósbjørn Jacobsen oj@henninglarsen.com Tel: +45 8233 3070

SpacesHenning About for knowledge Larsenand Architects growth

Oslo Kasper Kyndesen kkyn@henninglarsen.com Tel: +47 4663 3960

www.henninglarsen.com

Copenhagen – Oslo – Munich – Istanbul – Riyadh – Faroe Islands