Fresenius lays cornerstone for new building at headquarters in Bad Homburg

Fresenius laid the cornerstone today for a new office building in Bad Homburg, part of the company’s headquarters expansion, at a festive ceremony attended by employees along with political and business representatives.

The building at company headquarters on Else-Kröner-Strasse is a response to the steadily increasing number of Fresenius employees. When completed in 2019, its approximately 21,500 square meters (231,000 square feet) of floor space will house some 600 modern office workplaces, conference rooms, an additional staff canteen and a parking garage.

With its “L” form, the five-story structure was designed to fit into the overall architectural concept alongside the two existing headquarters buildings, but with new interpretations of some key architectural elements. For example, the façade will include translucent panels in the distinct design colors of the four Fresenius business segments. Access to all areas of the building will be through an 800-square-meter atrium crowned by a foil-cushion roof, with all three headquarters buildings joining on to a new outdoor common area where employees can enjoy their breaks on nice days.

Stephan Sturm, CEO of Fresenius, pointed in his speech to the contribution that modern office concepts can make to optimizing cooperation among colleagues. “The cornerstone we are laying today is for a new building – but also for even better cooperation between our employees. If we want to continue growing, we will need good cooperation. We must share ideas, and learn from each other. Growth also requires flexibility, and for this reason we are creating more spaces that are modern and open-concept, which will facilitate communications and can be modified in response to changing needs.”

Mayor Alexander Hetjes cited the important role Fresenius plays in his city: “Fresenius represents the modern face of Bad Homburg as a competence center for healthcare. From its base here the company is not just one of the biggest employers in the Rhine-Main region, but is active worldwide. Fresenius, through its many activities, also helps shape life in our city. The headquarters is now undergoing a major expansion, and Bad Homburg wishes the company, and all the employees who will work in this modern building, great success and a good future in our city.”

Designed by the Wiesbaden firm BGF+ Architekten, the new building is being erected on a former parking lot and part of the land previously occupied by a high-bay warehouse. After five months of renovation and rebuilding completed in August, the modernized warehouse now takes up less space but has 60 percent more capacity thanks to the installation of new shelving technology systems.

A new five-story parking garage with space for 681 vehicles that also opened last month is another component of the expansion project, in which Fresenius is investing about €70 million. The company currently employs about 3,400 people in Bad Homburg, and an additional 300 in the nearby town of Oberursel.