50 Years Of The Corporate Center
The move to the new offices on Carl-Bertelsmann-Straße in Gütersloh was completed in February 1976.
When the new Bertelsmann headquarters in Gütersloh opened at the end of 1975, the building set standards in numerous respects: The company’s 643 employees and some 200 vocational trainees would soon benefit from advanced technology, modern open-plan offices, and a large on-site restaurant. The move marked the end of an era at the previous company headquarters on Eickhoffstrasse in downtown Gütersloh, the site from which Reinhard Mohn and the workforce had rebuilt the company after the Second World War. In February 1976 – 50 years ago this month – the relocation to Carl-Bertelsmann-Strasse 270 was completed, including the transfer of staff from various external offices. Twenty-five years later, an additional building was constructed on the opposite side of the street – the Brass building.
From open-plan offices back to smaller units
Construction of the four-story building complex was completed in just 27 months, based on plans by the architectural firm Fischer-Krüder-Rathai. The complex provided 16,310 square meters of usable space for 750 workstations on what was then undeveloped land at the eastern edge of the city. It comprised three above-ground floors and two basement levels. The site for the publishing and administrative building project covered 55,600 square meters, with a built-up area of 7,200 square meters. Construction began in October 1973, and the foundation stone was laid on January 17, 1974. Reinhard Mohn himself wielded the symbolic hammer, as a photograph shows. The topping-out ceremony followed on September 10, 1974, and the official handover of the keys took place on January 19, 1976. The new headquarters was – and remains – located near the large-scale printing plant Mohndruck, now Mohn Media, and the storage media manufacturer Sonopress.
Designed in the style of the 1970s as a reinforced concrete skeleton structure with an aluminum-and-glass façade, architect Robert Rathai opted for open-plan offices that departments could tailor to their individual needs. Over time, however, the varying layouts resulted in inconsistent corridor structures and made orientation more difficult. After employees cited drafty rooms and high noise levels in a 1987 staff survey, management decided to replace the open-plan concept with smaller office units – an approach that largely remains in place today.
New company restaurant as a highlight
In 1980, following 16 months of construction, a second five-story building section with 160 workstations was added to the existing structure: “Administrative Building 2,” or “V2” for short. The original building was subsequently designated “V1,” as reflected on all room signs. The built-up area for “V2” measured 1,760 square meters, with 4,281 square meters of usable space. In 1990, the Bertelsmann Stiftung, founded in 1977, moved into its new building next door. At the same time, the first carp began swimming in the large “Bertelsmann Lake” between headquarters and the Bertelsmann Stiftung, soon followed by swans gliding across the water. The lake serves as a firewater reservoir if required.
From the very beginning, the company restaurant has been a particular highlight for headquarters employees. Meals were – and continue to be – freshly prepared on site rather than simply delivered and served. Colleagues also benefit from a broader range of dishes. In 1998, additional serving stations were introduced, including options for grilled dishes and pasta – and most recently, a bowl station was added. Over the years, the building has been continuously modernized and upgraded to improve energy efficiency. Conference rooms were equipped with internet access, the cafeteria received a new serving counter and modern furnishings, the Mediastore was redesigned, the foyer was fitted with access gates and a large display, and the “Creative Hub” was established as a multifunctional event space for Bertelsmann University. Sanitary facilities were modernized, and the flat roof was newly insulated and greened. Just last year, the Corporate Center introduced an energy management system and received corresponding certification. These steps followed extensive upgrades to heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting systems, resulting in significant energy savings.
Anniversary to be celebrated at the summer festival
The 80-meter-long, 20-meter-wide Brass building on the opposite side of Carl-Bertelsmann-Strasse was constructed in 2000 to relieve the increasingly crowded headquarters. Its name derives from the motor manufacturer that previously occupied the site. Beginning in May 2001, around 200 employees from Payroll and Systems, Occupational Pensions, Bertelsmann Sport and Health, Bertelsmann Media Systems (now Arvato Systems), Bertelsmann BKK, and Gütersloher Verlagshaus moved into the four floors of the new building. In addition to offices, the corridors feature combination zones with kitchenettes.
“It is thanks to the support of our colleagues in Real Estate & Services that we have managed to keep our Corporate Center, including the Brass building, in excellent condition – compared to other company buildings of similar or even younger age, ours can certainly hold its own,” summarizes Martin Kewitsch, Executive Vice President HR Coordination, Corporate HR & Shared Services at Bertelsmann. “Of course, since the coronavirus pandemic and the introduction of remote work, the way our spaces are used has changed. We have responded to these evolving needs with various conversion measures.” For example, “Work Cafés” and hybrid workstations have been introduced in certain departments, and further smaller projects are planned. Today, around 600 colleagues work at the Corporate Center and in the Brass building. In addition, an average of more than 300 apprentices and dual-study students are trained in the Corporate Center’s central training unit and deployed at Bertelsmann companies in Gütersloh. Around 35 apprenticeship positions are based directly at the Corporate Center.
The 50th anniversary will also be a theme at the Corporate Center’s traditional summer festival, which is scheduled to take place on the company premises this year. Further details will be announced internally, but employees can already look ahead to a wonderful celebration.
