Groupon

The global American company Groupon has opened an additional office for 800 employees close to the Gendarmenmarkt in the historic center of Berlin. The new, 8,500 m² offices are in a previously vacant studio building and characterized by incorporation of existing materials.

The former entrance hall with its historic staircase contrasts with the simple, modern rooms of additions from recent decades. With the exception of a few individual offices, the general spaces are designed as open-plan offices. Due to the large number of employees, an important objective of the design concept was creation of calm and clarity in the spaces. Constant company growth resulted in a requirement for rapid orientation of new employees in the winding building layout.

The glass-vaulted space facing the Oberwallstrasse takes on particular importance in clearly reflecting the spacious, transparent design and corporate philosophies. Different color schemes define the function of work areas, making them clearly recognizable as orientation points within the building. On every floor, recurring special areas such as copy facilities, kitchens, stand-ups and conference boxes gleam as points of color. From ceiling to carpet, furniture to lamps, each one is in a single color.

The black and white conference boxes, the Groupon-green interview boxes and the black and white conference rooms adjacent to the winter garden reflect the company's trademark colors. The sculptural ceiling panels not only conceal the ventilation and air conditioning systems, but also functionally connect individual areas within the large spaces. White linear fixtures form a floating plane of "organized chaos" lighting in the space.

Custom bookshelves, coat closets and tables designed in-house as part of a vibrant furnishing concept define zones in the office spaces. The backs of storage area furniture were clad in colored fabrics to counteract the prevailing noise level, and ceiling areas were also designed to be acoustically effective.

Client
Groupon GmbH

Gross
8.500 sqm