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I n May 2020, an innovative working environment for the Berlin-based technology Entwurf • Design De Winder Architekten, Berlin
companies of the Hypoport Group was created in the new MY.B office building in Ber-
lin's Europacity district. In the building, designed by the architecture firm HENN and Bauherr • Client Hypoport SE
awar ded the DGNB 'Gold' certificate, we from de Winder developed the layout, the rooms Standort • Location Heidestraße 8, Berlin
and the interior design for the new six-storey working environment. We accompanied Nutzfläche • Floor space 9.600 m 2
Fotos • Photos Mark Seelen Photography, Hamburg
the project intensively from the beginning and discussed the future orientation of the
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More infos on page 126
working environment in close consultation with the client. Eleven Hypoport Group com-
panies with a total of 500 employees have been brought together in the new headquar-
ters. The move to the new building was more than a change of space. The listed fin-tech
company Hypoport realised very early on that it needed to further develop its working
environment in order to remain attractive in the war for talent and innovative enough in
product development. A new corporate culture emerged from the pressure to change.

Meeting spaces in an agile working environment

Hypoport is a network organisation with an umbrella brand and autonomous subsidia-
ries with their own identities. The connection among the autonomous Hypoport compa-
nies originates from the meeting spaces. To ensure that everyone could really understand
the added value of the shared new location, the new agile working environment had to
be designed in such a way that everyone was enthusiastic about it. Caroline Theißen,
now Executive Director of Hypoport Hub SE, says: "This was much more than a change
of space; it really created a new attitude, a new way of working together and a new self-
image." After this fundamental decision on the new way of working, it became clear that
we as architects and Hypoport would not simply define the new workspaces together,
but that the only way to achieve this was to adopt a user perspective. One basis for the
participatory process was the formation of task force groups to which each autonomous
subsidiary sent staff members who were familiar with the respective work processes and
needs. At an early stage, the first kick-off workshop took place where the task force Foto: Caroline Theissen
groups discussed the concrete planning process. We presented the basic concept there
for the first time and got them in the mood for the joint planning steps and subsequent
workshops. During this meeting, it quickly became clear that we as architects could only Spielerisch den Bedürfnissen auf den Grund gehen. • Playfully getting to the bottom of needs.
get to the content we needed for the user-oriented planning through further individual
workshops with the task forces. And so a Lego Serious Play workshop lasting several
days took place with our presentations and individual rounds for each task force group.
This was not a matter of course. These workshops were actually more oriented towards
the weaknesses and sensitivities of the staff, who naturally had many questions.

Dosed participation and maximum transparency

Another crucial point on the journey was the decision to give the employees regular
insights into the construction site in order to make the new office more tangible. By
setting up a temporary showroom, the employees were able to participate even more
specifically on the way to the future working environment. Material samples, furniture
and luminaires were exhibited there, some of which were actually used later. Em-
ployees had the opportunity to get involved in the planning and to influence the choice
of colours for their team areas. The decision was made in favour of a shared-desk lay-
out in order to accommodate Hypoport SE's agile growth and the flexible work cycles
of the autonomous company. An important connecting link are the so-called living
rooms, which have been created in the corner areas on all floors. Elsewhere often used
as executive offices, these areas were defined as meeting areas. A decisive addition in
the further development towards an innovative working environment was the intro-
duction of a smart office system. This allows employees to manage their access to the
building or book workstations and meeting rooms using a mobile phone app. This de-
cision was a major transformation challenge, but at the same time an important con-
tribution on the way to digital working. Intensive and regular internal communication
with maximum transparency of all decisions and a close collaboration between us ar-
chitects and Hypoport made the implementation of this project possible. The fact that
this project at MY.B has immense charisma for the entire Hypoport network is now
turning out to be a major challenge for the group of companies at the other locations,
in which we are again involved0. For even though the MY.B has defined standards that
will help shape the design of other locations, it will not be a copy of the working en-
vironment at the MY.B. Each location has its own corporate culture, and this will be
taken into account accordingly in the future. Grundriss 1. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +1 Grundriss 5. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +5

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