Located between the cathedral and the Romanesque Basilica of St. Gereon, the elegantly curved facade of the former Bauwens corporate headquarters catches the eye. The classically proportioned office building on Gereonstraße was constructed between 2007 and 2009 as part of the redevelopment of the vacant site of the former Nordstern Insurance Company into a mixed-use residential and office complex with a total area of approximately 27,000 qm. Until 2015, the Bauwens Group had its central Cologne headquarters here.

With its striking double-tiered design, deep window reveals, and finely profiled window elements, the office building blends naturally into the historically evolved urban fabric with its confident presence. The design emerged from an international competition and was conceived by the Cologne-based firm Steves & Borsum Architekten in collaboration with Selldorf Architects of New York. Bauwens Architects was responsible for the project’s implementation.

The office building, which can be flexibly partitioned, is designed as an open workspace and offers a wide range of opportunities for interaction and communication. Internal connections between the office floors and open communication zones play a key role in this. Even before construction began, the project—which was already 100 percent rented at the time—was sold to a fund managed by AXA Real Estate Managers.