Chemnitz, Germany

Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge and her design team at Meyer-Grohbrügge have renovated part of a former textile factory in Chemnitz for Staffbase, where the fast-growing start-up company has now established its main corporate headquarters. 

The renovation and design of the new office space aim to work with minimal interventions in the beautiful original space, yet make it work as a functional office.

The overall architectural strategy can be described as a defense against unnecessary interventions and material expenditure in combination with targeted identity-creating and consolidating measures. 

This was really the main challenge: to avoid adding material as much as possible and find low tech solutions that work.

Future workspaces require flexibility, but should also offer different high-quality spatial situations for communication and concentration. 

The impression of this spectacular 2,200 square-meter huge open space was meant to be kept, so any necessary closed rooms, such as service spaces and meeting rooms were pushed to each side.

One of the few new elements, a lighting system, plays with the grid to add a new direction and dimension to the space. 

On each side, a maze of meeting, working, and relaxing rooms were created, each of them differently themed and with a distinctive atmosphere and identity.

Project: Staffbase Office
Architects: Meyer-Grohbruegge
Lead Architect: Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge
Design Team: Jenny Kurth and Thibault Trouvé
Client: Staffbase GmbH
Photographers: Thomas Meyer-Ostkreuz