Celebrating a major milestone this year with its 70th anniversary this month adidas has opened a sparkling new building at its Herzogenaurach, Germany-based headquarters named the “Arena.” The new building was designed in the essence of a soccer stadium and is built on top of 67 filigree columns, to make it appear as if the building is floating in the air.
The heart of the ARENA building is the dramatic floating staircase in the atrium. Rising through the bright and spacious light well, it takes employees up to the three-story workspace section and offers exciting views into the atrium, across the open-air level out over the campus, and up to the office floors.
A central “main street” links these three levels both vertically and horizontally to create a space akin to a lively marketplace suspended in mid-air. On each floor, the “main street” is adjoined by six kitchen hubs representing six “key cities” characterized by distinctive materials, colors, and types of furnishing to form individual addresses within the building. Work areas alternate with areas for formal and informal meetings and recreational zones. They are organized as variegated clusters around light wells of different sizes optimized to supply ample natural light.
The facade was equipped with a specially developed sun control and shading system adapted to the orientation of each facade. The fixed external shading system optimizes the interplay between maximum light transmittance, including in winter, and minimum heat gain. Thanks to its implementation of up-to-date energy-efficiency standards and extensive use of recyclable materials, the building has been submitted for LEED Gold certification.
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“Our work environment is unrivaled anywhere in the world: We offer modern buildings, an attractive working environment designed specifically for our unique adidas culture and, of course, a variety of sports facilities on our campus,” said adidas CEO Kasper Rørsted.”This puts us in a perfect position for the future, continuing on our international growth track and making our product range even more sustainable.”
