Bene Office Furniture

Deloitte & Touche

Architect: RTW Architects, Hanover
Office Planning: Peter Teicher, RTW Architects
Bene Germany/Frankfurt
Sales Office: Bene Germany

The address of the premises which Deloitte & Touche, the internationally renowned firm of chartered accountants, has recently moved into just couldn't be better: the Stadthaus, on a magnificent Hanover boulevard, in the immediate vicinity of the Opera House.
The 60m-long building was originally constructed in 1925 for the publishers of the newspaper Hannoversche Kurier. It is at present being adapted in individual conversion phases to meet the requirements of a modern company.
Bene is involved in the project.

The Volume
The original design of the facade has been retained: with facework made of uniformly structured travertine, the ground floor and the first floor form the base for the other four storeys. In order to achieve the inner flexibility desired by the owner and to allow for any possible changes in utilisation, the whole of the building (which has eight-storeys and two underground levels) was constructed in iron.
The first conversion measures, implemented on the interior at the start of the 1990s, concentrated above all on redesigning the rooms used for conferences and meetings on the ground floor, all of which are grouped around an oval-shaped bamboo courtyard.
The aim of the recently initiated redesign of the office areas was to organise the space in an efficient and adaptable way for the modern working world. For although chartered accountants spend 50% of their working time with clients, the idea was that every employee should be able to have his or her own workstation.


Bene CompactOffice
In the middle of 2002 an important phase was completed: the restructuring of the office levels on the first upper storey using the Bene CompactOffice System, which will serve as the model for the rest of the upper storeys.
In order to enable employees to work and telephone in a concentrated way, Bene has here created two-person and four-person cell offices. Glazed dividing walls between the offices and the corridor, as well as fully glazed sliding doors, make it possible to communicate and be in contact with one another.
The dividing walls between the offices can also be used: whereas the upper area serves as a pinwall with protective acoustic functions, the organisational tracks above the desk surfaces are fitted with various compartments and filing systems or socket boxes. Practical containers on castors provide additional storage space.
Cabinet walls of a light-grey colour in the corridor are interrupted by wall surfaces painted in warm and luminous earthy tones. Three square downlights highlight each of these wall surfaces. In this way a comfortable working atmosphere is created and no dark corners are produced. Optimal brightness is provided in the offices by standing luminaires which react to movement.
The corners of the building were designed to include special solutions: self-service espresso machines, a cold drinks fridge, standing table and so-called Stitzen (for sitting and/or leaning) make the cafe-bar a favourite meeting-point for employees and also a place for informal internal discussions. An office space equipped with a central functional console in the south-eastern corner has been specially arranged for teamwork.
All in all: functionality with a high degree of adaptability. Va bene!


Photographic material: Michael Rasche, Dortmund (photographer)