-
LocationDüsseldorf
-
ProjectNew office building with underground car park
-
ProcedureOrder by investor selection process
-
ClientQuantum Projektentwicklung GmbH
-
Architect of recordCaspar Schmitz-Morkramer
-
Utilization concept and space planningDeloitte GmbH, Real Estate & Operations Deloitte Consulting GmbH, Strategy & Business Design
-
Signage concept and planningDeloitte GmbH, Real Estate & Operations Deloitte Digital GmbH
-
Smart building design and implementationDeloitte Consulting GmbH, Real Estate Consulting
-
Design and planning of furnishings, textiles and decoration; Conference and event technology; Office, conferencing and event servicesDeloitte GmbH, Real Estate & Operations
-
Project controllingWitte Projektmanagement, Düsseldorf
-
Technical building equipmentZimmermann und Becker, Heilbronn
-
Electrical engineeringibb Burrer & Deuring, Leipzig
-
Structural engineeringSchüssler-Plan, Düsseldorf
-
Fire protectionGruner und Partner, Cologne
-
Landscape architecturestudio grüngrau, Düsseldorf
-
Lighting designKardorff-Ingenieure, Berlin
-
Facade planning; Building physicsDrees & Sommer, Cologne
-
Room acoustics planningMüller-BBM, Planegg
-
General contractor (GC)Hochtief Infrastructure, Düsseldorf
-
Furniture fittingsSchumann Möbel-Werkstätten, Altenkirchen
-
Construction Period2019–2022
-
Service phases1–8
-
Gross floor area (AG/BG)43.´,916 m²/25,716 m²
-
General tenantDeloitte GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Düsseldorf
-
CertificationsDGNB Gold
-
AwardsIconic Awards 2023
-
Photographic and film documentationHGEsch
-
This project is from the joint period of meyerschmitzmorkramer.
Düsseldorf’s “City of Entrepreneurs” (Unternehmerstadt) development project has been underway in the Derendorf district since 2006, transforming the site of the former Rheinmetall works. This significant project with city-wide impact, involves creating new, well-designed office space and housing across approximately nine hectares, embedded within an urban open space concept. Adjacent to this site is the Heinrich Campus, situated on the former Department of Motor Vehicles site. Since early 2022, the three-story office ensemble with its elegant brick exterior has marked a new beginning. To ensure the Heinrich Campus’ nearly 70,000 square meters of gross floor area harmonize in scale with the surroundings, we divided the project’s large mass into three courtyard buildings. Stepped from seven to five stories and slightly offset, these buildings are pushed into one another to form a closed structure. This design responds to the characteristic contours and heights of the surrounding context, while allowing the urban block to form a representative, quasi-private forecourt along Erna-Scheffler-Strasse. That this plaza can be used as a pedestrian shortcut from the quarter to the train station adds to the project’s urban appeal.
Initially planned for multiple tenants, the building is now fully occupied by the auditing and consulting firm Deloitte. Their agile approach to work, focus on process optimization, and high standards for security and discretion led, in dialogue with us, to the creation of an office environment transcending conventional standards, offering a glimpse into the future of work. With around 3,500 employees in Düsseldorf, Deloitte’s presence is growing, yet employees typically spend only 1.6 days per week in the office. The Heinrich Campus provides 900 workstations aligned with workplace guidelines, along with an additional 2,000 in various settings. The app-controlled workspace booking eliminates hierarchy, enabling anyone to reserve a spot. Deloitte’s desire that “everyone should find a home here” reflects the desire for a comfortable workspace reminiscent of the benefits of remote work experienced during the pandemic. Moreover, the attractiveness of the workplace is a crucial factor in the competition for talent.
The new building features a contemporary clinker brick facade. The robust materiality of light beige-gray stone nods to the site’s industrial past, while artisanal details break up the austerity of the grid, with finely profiled areas alongside each window reveal. Tension builds at the rounded corners, where the perforated facade’s widened windows and curved panes create a dramatic effect. Subtle color gradations, achieved by varying the intensity of the white slurry, make the brick tone differ just slightly between structures, enlivening the overall appearance.
Despite Deloitte’s stringent security requirements, the Heinrich Campus exudes an open and inviting atmosphere. Those arriving by car can utilize parking spaces, including e-charging stations, across two underground levels. At ground level, the Bike World offers 600 bicycle parking spots, integrated into a new traffic concept, with provisions for minor bike repairs.
The Deloitte main entrance is situated in the central part of the building on the sheltered south side. From the public forecourt, visitors and employees enter the glazed lobby with a gallery open above, accessible after the security gate. The space features a light oak wood aesthetic with leafy plants and unobstructed views for a professional yet homey feel. The flexible layout allows the area to be used for larger events, with moveable furnishings enhancing adaptability. The lobby leads to special use areas: a recruiting area in the front and a food court between the inner courtyard and forecourt, awash with natural light. The westernmost of the three courtyards houses a double-height floor, column-free event hall for up to 500 people, which can be connected directly to the lobby when needed. The event hall is equipped to high technical standards, including 360° 3D projection capabilities as a showpiece.
A robust technical infrastructure throughout the building, coupled with intelligent custom furniture designed by caspar., supports the smooth running of the workday according to the principle of “activity-based working.” Each workstation is fully equipped with the necessary connections, allowing employees to start work immediately, bringing only what is essential for their tasks. The warm oak flooring, furniture, and room dividers offer a striking contrast against black-painted ceilings, white Corian counters, and clean architectural lines, fostering a harmonious and authentic working environment. Deloitte’s investment in high-quality interior design reflects its commitment to employee wellbeing, which is evident in the thoughtfully designed open spaces and green roof areas that promote a favorable microclimate. The Heinrich Campus was awarded DGNB Gold certification as a sustainable new office building, achieved through a holistic approach based on the LowEx concept. This approach intertwines high-quality, durable architecture with ultra-modern building technology optimized for low energy consumption and maximum comfort, all in an economically and ecologically sensible manner.
Campus goes far beyond New Work. In fact, it goes far beyond a typical office building. This is because the innovative consulting arm Deloitte Digital and the Smart Factory on the ground floor are both spectacular and paradigmatic examples of New Work in the most literal sense: new fields of work, not (just) new working environments.
The Smart Factory is far more than a model factory: it is a real-world learning and experiential environment where digital transformation, production, and design converge. Technology, data, and human creativity merge into a globally networked platform with locations in Düsseldorf, Kyoto, Wichita, and Montreal. In addition to its experiential nature—for example, for workshops and as an inspiring gateway to the STEM world—the focus is above all on the transparent presentation of production processes. In real time, the Smart Factory shows at exactly which position any given piece of material is at any given stage of that process. Architecture thus serves as an interface between the analog and digital worlds, turning the factory into a living laboratory.
Complementing this, the design for Deloitte Digital reflects its core mission: the development of digital business models and customer experiences from concept to operation. The spaces capture this fusion of technology, creativity, and design engineering. Inspired by industrial aesthetics that turns the raw into the cool, open, flexible work environments are created, deliberately exposing the tech, yet specifically designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and new ways of working.
The interior fit-out of the Heinrich Campus alone ranks among the most interesting and valuable experiences of our interior design department. Yet, when viewed in the context of the overall project, that experience is virtually all-encompassing. It is hard to imagine a more diverse and multifaceted interior design project within an office setting!
-
Caspar Schmitz-Morkramer
-
Kai Hesse
-
Jana Schuster-Strueh
-
Alexander Willems
-
Judith Alich
-
Tim Bienert
-
Nanna Busch
-
Louisa Charlotte D`Ooghe
-
Maren Dominik
-
Roman Funk
-
Lars Göpfert
-
Ann-Denise Hinse
-
Anne-Katrin John
-
Klaus Kirchner
-
Johannes König
-
Anna Melchior
-
Martin Mellis
-
Miriam Nguan
-
Ojuolape Odunlami
-
Kacper Rojek
-
Lars Scheerer
-
Maik Skerka
-
Carlos Tinoco de Castilla
-
Maria Urban
-
Johannes van Linn
-
Dominic Wanisch
-
Leonard Wefing