The new company headquarters of sevDesk GmbH in Offenburg aims to do one thing above all: provide sufficient new space for today's hybrid working world. The modern office concept says goodbye to the classic presence workplace and focuses on its employees, flexible structures and modern technologies. In keeping with this, a multifunctional 4-in-1 acoustic sail system supports the working and feel-good climate by combining the aspects of acoustics, cooling, ventilation and light reflection in a well-designed and efficient solution. 

The software provider sevdesk describes its new headquarters on the former CANVAS 22 slaughterhouse site in Offenburg as a think tank with an innovative character. In just under two years, the Hurrle Immobiliengruppe, as the building owner, constructed the new building located on the Mühlbach stream according to the plans of architects Müller + Partner. The four-storey complex is a hybrid construction made of wood and concrete and offers a total of approx. 4,700 m2 of usable space. Externally, an architecturally sophisticated façade construction consisting of a jagged cold façade, large glass surfaces and perforated sheets in front of the opening elements is impressive - supplemented by vertical, self-watering plant panels. On the roof, 60 percent of the surface area is equipped with photovoltaics.

sevdesk CEO and co-founder Marco Reinbold explains the new company headquarters as a symbol of the growing hybrid working world: “Working from home and virtual communication tools make working more complex and diverse - this brings challenges, but also opportunities.” In total, the new office offers more than 300 workstations, over 20 different meeting rooms and modern technical equipment. Traditional workstations have been reduced and a wide variety of communal areas have been created instead. In addition to a spacious atrium with wide seating stairs and a long slide at the side, there are several open workspaces, social zones such as a gaming corner with a bar, a dedicated bistro, as well as quiet focus zones with desks and various seating options for concentrated work. For the more than 250 employees, the new headquarters offers an attractive addition to the home office with creative added value.

The air conditioning and ventilation technology in the new building also contributes to a pleasant working atmosphere. For maximum flexibility in the design of office landscapes, Stuttgart-based Kiefer Klimatechnik GmbH offers a multifunctional 4-in-1 system: INDUSAIL SONIC is an active acoustic sail system that also combines the functions of ventilation, cooling and light reflection. At sevdesk, almost 200 units now ensure successful room acoustics, which play a particularly important role in open-plan offices. The underside of the sail consists of an open-pored absorber material with glass fleece lamination, which achieves very high sound absorption values. “We know that the audibility in the room, speech intelligibility and low reverberation times have a major influence on the acoustic quality in the room and consequently on the performance of the users,” explains Norbert Hinderer, Sales Engineer at Kiefer. The system is ideally suited to the office environment at sevdesk: "The ceiling is the largest continuous surface in the room. Sound-absorbing acoustic sails installed there control the spread of sound in the room. This increases the well-being and satisfaction of the employees," explains Hinderer. The room air is cooled to a comfortable temperature via an integrated recirculating air cooling unit, which in turn leads to an optimum working environment. The supply air connection brings in additional treated fresh air from the central air conditioning system and provides a hygienically sensible air exchange. This takes place without a noticeable draught in fine individual jets via the highly inductive slot diffusers with specially developed discharge geometry. Hinderer adds: "These aspects also bring clear advantages in office environments such as here at sevdesk. Because a permanent exchange of air ensures the best possible room comfort and improves the ability to concentrate." In addition, INDUSAIL SONIC supports all major types of lighting thanks to its high light reflectance - greater than 90 percent. The visible installation of the air and water supply media was visually recognizable and yet unobtrusive as circumferential ring lines on the edges of the rooms.

Kiefer also offers an intelligent solution for exhaust air ducting in modern buildings. Particularly in architecturally sophisticated buildings - such as the sevdesk headquarters - the installation of compact air transfer grilles can be made almost invisible, allowing air to flow freely from room to room. The individual rooms were partitioned off using plasterboard stud walls. If an installation is then made in this wall, this leads to an acoustic weakening of this partition wall. "To reduce this weakening to a minimum, we used an integrated, highly effective acoustic and non-combustible inner lining. This enables us to achieve a high standard sound level difference of 40-50 dB, depending on the type and installation detail," says Norbert Hinderer. Thanks to the high level of sound insulation, noise transmission, for example during conversations or telephone calls, is significantly reduced. The air transfer grilles made of galvanized sheet steel were installed flush with the drywall. The air slot, which is only 20 mm wide, was fitted stress-free into the cut-out in the plasterboard cladding. The remaining gap between the air slot and the planking was then filled. This gives you a great deal of creative freedom and allows you to plan with slim joints, for example, or optionally with an attractive decorative cover.

“At sevdesk, all of the air conditioning and ventilation elements have been perfectly adapted to the stylish interior design, just as the client wanted,” says Hinderer happily.