On course for growth: foundation stone laid for Materna’s new building

It is a special moment for everyone involved. In his welcoming speech, Martin Wibbe, CEO of the Materna Group, expresses his deep respect for what has been achieved at and through Materna over the past 42 years. It is also a special moment for the city of Dortmund, says Thomas Westphal, Lord Mayor of Dortmund and a self-confessed fan of Materna. For him, the laying of the foundation stone on the site of a former industrial complex also symbolises Dortmund’s successful structural transformation.

There are currently around 1,400 employees at the Dortmund site. The growth prospects are excellent, and Materna intends to continue expanding its workforce rapidly in the coming years. The new building, with 44,000 square metres of office space, will provide a workplace for more than 1,800 employees, equipped with state-of-the-art technology for hybrid working. Worldwide, more than 3,200 employees currently work for the Materna Group across 36 sites.

Company founder Dr Winfried Materna is looking forward to a new dimension in the world of work, as he emphasised at the foundation-laying ceremony. The new building will feature modern spaces designed to foster creative work, areas for interactive collaboration, as well as attractive spaces dedicated to relaxation. Furthermore, great importance is attached to environmental sustainability. The building will meet the highest energy efficiency standards (KfW 40 standard) and will be able to source almost all of its electricity from its own energy generation.

“The building’s roof and the carports in the car park will be fitted with solar panels, the energy from which we will use both within the building and at the many charging points we have planned for our staff. We will generate 1,500 megawatt-hours per year – theoretically enough to supply 500 households,” reported company founder Helmut an de Meulen during the ceremony.

Benjamin Sieber, Managing Director of Gerber Architekten, explained the tradition of the foundation-laying ceremony in his speech: “Ever since the late Middle Ages, foundation-laying ceremonies have involved offering drinks to the masons as the foundation or cornerstone was laid, and ‘stone wine’ and ‘foundation beer’ were served. Then as now, it is customary to place certificates relating to the building, coins or other documents – such as a daily newspaper – into the time capsule and then embed it in the foundation stone. Finally, the stone is tapped three times so that good fortune may befall both the client and the new building in equal measure.”

For Materna’s foundation-laying ceremony, the speakers presented building plans, the ‘Mission 2025’ Pocket Guide, a miniature Dortmund rhinoceros, the current daily edition of the Ruhrnachrichten, the Materna Monitor edition marking the company’s 40th anniversary, and commemorative photos from the founding meeting of the client, MMDO, in June 2020.

The move to the new headquarters is scheduled for early 2024. The foundations have been laid, the traditional time capsule filled with mementoes, and tapped three times: ‘Good luck!’