Extensions planned for Hella HQ

Lighting and electronics specialist Hella is investing in its headquarters in Lippstadt, Germany, and construction will soon commence on a new visitor, administrative and exhibition centre under construction in the immediate proximity to the company’s existing headquarters building. Hella says the new addition will transform the site “into a high-tech location.” At the same time, an urban planning competition is scheduled for the future use of the company’s adjacent former plant site

“With its 125 locations and 40,000 employees, Hella is already globally positioned and this international network will continue its growth,” comments Dr Rolf Breidenbach, chief executive officer of Hella. “The importance of our Lippstadt headquarters as a control centre for the global Hella network and its respective responsibilities will further increase. So, we must also create the space for this to happen.”

The new visitor, administrative and exhibition centre will be constructed as an extension to the Hella Globe. The new 7,000 square metre, four storey-building will not only create state-of-the-art working conditions for 300 employees, but will also feature conference and training rooms, as well as an exhibition centre for customers and visitors.

With its new building, which will house mostly company functions and welcome many visitors, Hella will continue the development and modernisation of its headquarters. The construction of the new centre is scheduled to start in the summer of 2018, with an anticipated opening expected for mid-2019.

The new Hella building complex will simultaneously close an urban planning gap on one of the most visited streets in Lippstadt, with the current buildings on the Rixbecker Strasse premises giving way to the construction project. Hella says the new building will “speak the architectural language of the adjacent Hella Globe,” thus building a conceptual bridge to the company’s headquarters.

In relation to the construction developments at Hella’s headquarters, planning is also underway for transforming the 50,000 square metres of the company’s former premises into a mixed-use urban neighbourhood, in close collaboration with the city of Lippstadt. Due to its open location in the city centre and the required inclusion into its urban surroundings, an urban planning competition is currently underway. Construction here will probably start from 2020 following the conclusion of the competition, and following the planning and allocation processes.