RESI rocks: How sustainable architecture enables a new work culture

What does sustainable architecture mean in practical terms at RESI, and what distinguishes this approach from a conventional “green building”?

Andrea Schmidt: A green building is often associated primarily with energy consumption, materials or technical standards. These aspects are essential. SSustainable architecture, however, goes further by considering the entire life cycle of a building. What happens to materials when requirements change? Can components be separated, reused or repurposed? How resilient is the building to future change? How much technology does a building really need to meet users’ comfort requirements, and where might compromises be possible? These are precisely the questions that RESI places at the centre of its approach. It is about making resource-efficient choices, but also about durability and adaptability. A building is particularly sustainable if it does not require extensive refurbishment or replacement after only a few years because working practices, space requirements or technical demands have changed. This brings an idea to the fore that is just as relevant to the world of work as it is to architecture: not everything needs to be defined down to the last detail from the outset. Good spaces allow for development. They can change without losing their quality.

Your talk is entitled “Sustainable architecture meets a new work culture”. Why can these two topics not be considered separately?

Daniela Merkenich: Because work culture always has a spatial dimension. Whether teams are able to work with focus, creativity, collaboratively or in quiet retreat does not depend solely on rules, tools or leadership. It also depends on the situations that spaces enable. If you want to encourage collaboration, you need places for interaction. If you take focused work seriously, you need to provide opportunities for retreat and quiet. And if you want to strengthen belonging and identification, you should create spaces that provide orientation, foster a sense of community and make the organisation visible. Sustainability is therefore not just about the building itself; it is also about the quality of its use. If spaces do not meet actual needs, the result can be vacancies, people seeking alternative places to work or unnecessary refurbishments. None of this makes sense from either an ecological or an economic perspective. Conversely, a well-considered spatial concept can help to make better use of existing resources, shorten distances and once again make the workplace an accessible place where people can come together intentionally and without barriers.

Many companies are currently grappling with the role of the office in hybrid working models. What answer can a project such as RESI provide?

Andrea Schmidt: Today, the office no longer has to be the best solution for everything at the same time. There are often other places that are equally suitable for focused individual work. The office’s particular strength increasingly lies in enabling interaction, collaboration, relationship-building and collective development. That does not mean offices should become pure event spaces. Rather, they need to offer a balanced range of settings: spaces for focused work, informal meeting points, areas for project work, places for retreat and settings that support different forms of collaboration. The key is not to base the usage concept on an idealised notion of the way people work. RESI demonstrates how important it is to consider architecture and work organisation together. The central question is not: How many desks do we need? It is: Which activities, interactions and processes should work well here – today and tomorrow?

Sustainability is sometimes perceived as a constraint. Can it also lead to better and more attractive workplaces?

Daniela Merkenich: Absolutely. Sustainability does not mean compromising on quality. At its best, it can actually lead to higher-quality spaces and working environments. Natural materials, good acoustics, daylight, pleasant communal areas, durable solutions and intelligent use of space all contribute to people’s health and wellbeing. In the case of RESI, sustainability may mean doing without what is unnecessary. Following the principle of “showing what is there”, the architects incorporated elements such as exposed concrete surfaces and visible service ducts into the design. The emotional dimension also plays a role. People notice whether a company consistently puts its values into practice. When sustainability is not simply written into corporate principles but becomes visible and tangible in everyday working life, it can create a stronger sense of identification. This is particularly relevant at a time when employees are paying greater attention to what organisations stand for and how credibly they act. A sustainable workplace can therefore be an important part of employer attractiveness as well as an expression of a long-term commitment.

What challenges arise when architecture, sustainability goals and work culture are brought together?

Andrea Schmidt: The greatest challenge often lies in bringing different perspectives together early enough. Architecture, real estate management, sustainability, IT, HR, leadership and employees all have their own requirements. If these perspectives only come together shortly before a project is completed, important decisions will often already have been made. What is needed, therefore, is an open, interdisciplinary process. Sustainability should not simply be assessed at the end through a certification process. Nor should work culture only be explained through communication measures once people have moved into the building. Both need to be part of the planning process from the very beginning. This requires time, dialogue and sometimes the courage to question established patterns. But that is precisely where the opportunity lies: when people are involved at an early stage, solutions emerge that are better suited to the organisation and more likely to be embraced in everyday use.

What can visitors look forward to at the Wherever Whenever – Work Culture Festival?

Daniela Merkenich:  In our talk, we will share concrete experiences, perspectives and questions relating to the interplay between space, resources and collaboration. We want to demonstrate that sustainable architecture is not a specialist topic reserved for planning or real estate departments. It concerns everyone who designs, uses or develops workplaces: companies, leaders, HR professionals, planners and employees. RESI invites us to view the workplace not simply as a cost factor or a question of floor space, but as a strategic place for future viability. Because tomorrow’s world of work does not simply need less or more office space. It needs better answers to the question of how we can use resources responsibly while creating places where people enjoy coming together, can work effectively and are able to shape change.

Thank you for talking to us.