Der Spiegel Moves Into New Green Headquarters in Hamburg’s HafenCity

In Hamburg, all eyes are on the city's massive <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/hafencity/">HafenCity</a> redevelopment project, and one of the newest and greenest buildings to be added to the skyline is the gleaming 27,000-square-foot headquarters of <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/">Der Spiegel</a>, Germany's leading news organization. The new building, designed by Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects, is sleek and spacious, and it scores high marks in several sustainable building categories.

Inside, the full-height atrium is criss-crossed by more than a dozen bridges and stairways. Image © Der Spiegel

Der Spiegel's previous headquarters had become cramped; in contrast, the new building exudes a feeling of spaciousness.

With its sky-lit roof and walls of glass on the facade, the building takes advantage of natural light, minimizing the need for artificial light during the day.

Glass walls separate the offices from the building's atrium, letting natural light in. Image © Der Spiegel

The building sources some of its energy from photovoltaic solar panels and geothermal probes that tap into the temperature of the earth 100 meters below the surface.

The flamboyant Panton­Cafeteria from the old Spiegel building has been replicated on the upper floors of the new building. Image © Der Spiegel

The lower level features a modern cafeteria designed by Peter Ippolito and Gunter Fleitz of Stuttgart. Image © Der Spiegel

The ceiling of the cafeteria features approximately 4,300 round aluminum panels.

“The creation of meeting points, locations at which people encounter people, is our guiding principle in architecture,” the architects said in a press release. Image © Der Spiegel

The new Spiegel building was granted the HafenCity Gold Environmental Label, earning top honors in four of the five categories.

With 30,000 square meters of floor space, the new Der Spiegel headquarters is one of the largest buildings in Hamburg.

The new Spiegel building will also be one of the most energy-efficient buildings in Hamburg, as it is expected to use less than 100 kW/h per m2 per year.

The eastern face of the building features a large"window to the city" setback that is 50 meters wide, 35 meters high and ten meters deep. Image © Der Spiegel