cronos
cronos

cronos

Starting point
Situated directly on the waterfront with a view of the city, in lively surroundings, and outfitted with the latest technical infrastructure, with dock14 in Munster, management consultancy firm cronos has achieved an optimal working environment, which meets its own specific needs. With its exclusive location on the south bank of the city harbour, the new head office, which was acquired by cronos in 2017, not only provides the company with more space, but also opens up flexible room for future development.

The dock14 project came about after the original headquarters of the management consultancy firm became too small and its lease contract came to an end. The core concept for the new offices on Munster’s city harbour centred on achieving a building with flexibly usable spaces that would befit the continual transformation undergone by cronos as a management consultancy firm. Furthermore, it was planned from the outset that the area of the prestigious seven-floor office building would be shared with other companies on the lookout both for a good location and for good neighbours.

Planning process
The intention of the dock14 project was to create an office building that could live up to the challenges of the future in all respects. As such, in addition to the latest technology and a high level of flexibility, cronos was also driven by the guiding principle of enhanced spatial efficiency.  In order for this to be possible, an important role in the configuration of the office landscape was given to reducing unnecessary empty and circulation areas to an absolute minimum.

For the planning and implementation of its office landscape, cronos decided to team up in Munster with installation firm TON. TON began with an analysis of the company’s initial situation, in order to develop concrete ideas on this basis that would provide cronos with an office landscape of the future. Integrated planning with ophelis provided the opportunity to present all products, including the colour concept, in advance in the showroom, thereby enabling the client to be won over with concrete proposals.

Implementation
The concept developed combines an overarching design with sufficient scope to meet the individual needs of individual departments and employees – open, flexibly usable working areas feature alongside spaces for withdrawal and meetings, as well as venues for informal communication that include lounges and kitchens.

A central furniture solution in the configuration of the “other zones” in the new cronos building is provided in the form of ophelis docks. The modular system is deployed as lounge furniture, in the library, in the dining area, and as a sofa landscape.  Upholstered elements, tables, and benches enable a configuration with a unified design that can simultaneously be adjusted to meet the challenges that apply in each individual situation.

Desksharing workstations for approximately 70 field staff are situated in open space. For the desks, the decision was made to use electromotive sitting/standing desks from the CN series, complemented with the paravento space organisation system and the media panel. Tables from the extensive CN product family can also be found in the meeting spaces, the large conference room, and the offices of the management staff.

To suit a dynamic working style, the management team decided on electromotive sitting/standing desks from radoppio with integrated technical sideboard. In its fully raised position, the desk can also be used for stand-up meetings. For reversible storage solutions, the planners selected the glider sliding door cabinet system in a variety of versions.

Architecture: Maas & Partner
Photos: Volker Stosberg