Siemens opens new headquarters in Munich

Siemens’ new headquarters in Munich have opened. Employees and the Managing and Supervisory Boards of Siemens AG celebrated completion of the building with a grand-opening ceremony. Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria Ilse Aigner and Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter were also on hand for the occasion. Completed in only about three years, the new building provides space for 1,200 employees on an aboveground area of around 45,000 square meters.

The company’s real estate unit, Siemens Real Estate (SRE), was responsible for implementation and executed this major project on time and on budget. The employees will be moving into their new offices over the course of the summer. In the year marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of the company’s founder, the section of the Finkenstrasse road directly in front of the new building’s entrance is being renamed to “Werner-von-Siemens-Strasse” in honor of his lifetime achievements. The new building is designed to meet the most stringent environmental standards. The power it consumes is drawn exclusively from renewable sources of energy, and its annual CO2 emissions have now been reduced to just nine kilograms per square meter.

“With our new corporate headquarters, we want to establish a symbol that stands for working together in the spirit of global entrepreneurship, for integration into society and for taking action in accordance with the principles of sustainability. From here,

we want to shape the future of our company. The new building is always to be a place of treating each other with mutual respect and of maintaining an open dialogue that is unrestricted by hierarchical structures – a place characterized by a high degree of self-determination and personal responsibility,” said Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG.

“From its beginnings to the present day, Siemens has been a company with international operations. The new corporate headquarters provide an open place where people from more than 40 countries work together – a place that’s open to all Siemens employees around the world. Our new building features a modern and sustainable design, and it’s meant to attract all those who want to help make the world a better place,” said Gerhard Cromme, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG.

“Siemens’ new headquarters underscore the company’s commitment to Bavaria and to Munich as a business location. This is important. As a highly creative innovator and a major employer, Siemens plays a key role in our state’s prosperity and strength. The impressive new building in our capital city is a visible symbol of Siemens’ work in Bavaria,” said Ilse Aigner – who is the Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology as well as the Deputy Minister of Bavaria – at the opening of the new company headquarters.

“With its new headquarters at the heart of Munich’s city center, Siemens has succeeded in creating a building that’s both innovative and harmonious, and it has done so within just a few years of construction work. The ground level, which is open to the public, makes new pedestrian pathways available in the inner city along with attractive meeting places for Munich residents and for the city’s visitors,” said Dieter Reiter, mayor of the city of Munich.

Built according to plans drafted by the company Henning Larsen Architects, all aspects of the building have been designed to meet the needs of the modern working world. All workspaces, for instance, are arranged along the floor-to-ceiling windows in order to maximize the use of sunlight. The employees can adjust the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technology in their areas as  needed. Ample spaces offer open areas for sharing information and for collaborating across departmental boundaries as well as quiet zones for performing work that requires greater focus.

The sustainable building concept combines efficiency with environmental protection. Using innovative systems by Siemens Building Technologies is to make it possible  to satisfy the world’s highest standards for sustainability – including, for instance, LEED and DGNB certification, which are both to be achieved in the platinum category. All energy consumption requirements are met with power from renewable sources. A powerful photovoltaic system has been installed on the roof, and the HVAC technology is operated with the aid of a foundation slab that cools the building in the summer and helps heat it in the winter. These measures have made it  possible to cut annual CO2 emissions to about nine kilograms per square meter, which is a 90 percent reduction compared to the old building. For construction, the company employed only materials that are low in harmful substances, and it gave preference to materials from local sources. The sustainable building concept includes a bicycle room for up to 200 bikes that is equipped with a charging station for e-bikes. In addition, to support new mobility concepts, Siemens has equipped 21 parking spaces with charging stations for electric cars.

Key criteria for selection of the design were the goals of ensuring that the new corporate headquarters blend in harmoniously with the cityscape and that the new building provides access for the public. Now that Siemens’ new headquarters are open, Munich residents and visitors to the city have an almost unrestricted opportunity to enter the building’s green inner courtyards, pass through the site and make use of the public culinary offerings and seating.