Proven quality "Made in Germany"

© Dirk Wilhelmy

© Dirk Wilhelmy

© Dirk Wilhelmy

© Dirk Wilhelmy

© Dirk Wilhelmy

Under the motto "one tesa," what belongs together strategically and operationally has come together in Norderstedt: In 2015, the new corporate headquarters of tesa SE was built on a site of approximately 86,000 m² near Hamburg Airport. It now houses administration and marketing, research and development, as well as the technology center. Around 900 employees moved during the year from Hamburg-Eimsbüttel to the building complex directly at the city border of Norderstedt. The new construction project was managed by the specially founded one tesa Bau GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of tesa SE. The general planner was the Munich-based architecture firm Brechensbauer Weinhart + Partner (BW+P), specializing in laboratory and research buildings. When it came to choosing the flooring for the research building, the architects relied on a proven partner and chose rubber flooring systems from nora systems. "We have already successfully used nora floors in many other projects," says architect Thomas Grühn, partner at BW+P. Because the rubber floors "Made in Germany" combine high functionality with an appealing look.

Building concept facilitates communication

The new tesa building complex consists of three interconnected, five- to seven-story structures. "The building concept contributes to shortening distances and facilitating communication between the employees of the individual departments," explains Grühn. To ensure close collaboration between the different functional areas—especially between research and development and marketing—the office building is directly connected to the research center from the third floor upward. Lounge areas with beverage facilities on all floors support a communicative environment.

Highest demands on laboratory floors

Special requirements were placed on the flooring in the research wing. "The floor had to be resistant, media-resistant, and easy to clean," emphasizes the architect. Because in laboratories, it often happens that chemical substances come into contact with the floor during work. The rubber floors from Weinheim meet all these requirements. Due to their extremely dense surface, they are highly durable and do not require coating. This also makes them particularly easy to maintain and economical.

An additional advantage is the ergonomics of nora floors. Thanks to their permanent elasticity, they offer high walking and standing comfort, relieving the backs and joints of laboratory staff, who spend a large part of their working time standing. At the same time, the elastic rubber floors are resistant to residual impressions. For example, the wheels of office chairs leave no permanent marks.

Rubber floors in blue

Not least, noraplan sentica perfectly integrated into the color concept of the new research building. "For the laboratories and the adjacent workstations, we chose a blue floor because this shade is very similar to one of tesa's colors," explains Grühn. The corridors are in tasteful anthracite. A big plus: noraplan sentica appears monochrome on the surface but conceals slight dirt marks through its tone-in-tone granulates. "We were very pleased with the look of the floor with its homogeneous surface."

And so, the new tesa research building, with its communicative spatial concept and attractive color scheme, is in multiple ways an example of combining a pleasant and modern working environment with functionality and economic efficiency.