The Treehouse Workplace, Studio Ippolito Fleitz Group

HassiaGruppe, headquartered in Bad Vilbel, Hessen, is Germany’s largest brand manufacturer in the soft drinks sector. In 2018, Bionade became part of the portfolio of this over 150-year-old, family-owned company.

With a broad spectrum of brand values merging together, this transition not only signified a change of space but also provided an opportunity to reflect on the working environment and culture at Hassia. Central to the new approach was the creation of communicative spaces where a shared corporate culture could thrive. To achieve this, the architectural firm adopted a room-in-room system that balances order and freedom while enabling flexible and adaptable spatial zoning.

The ground floor serves as the central hub for cultural exchange. Featuring a well-stocked bar, the space makes a bold corporate statement, welcoming employees and guests alike. It invites everyone to work, think, and celebrate together. At the same time, the bar doubles as a showcase for HassiaGruppe’s full product range. With its communicative spaces, lounge-like atmosphere, and beverage offerings, the ground floor transcends the typical reception area, functioning as an open space for hospitality.

Cooking together during lunch breaks brings employees together around one table, fostering informal exchanges that create bonds and instill a sense of belonging to a larger whole. The ground floor also provides spaces for lectures, meetings, and co-working. The stepped seating area, open on all sides, can accommodate spontaneous meetings, events, and town hall gatherings.

On the upper floors, a flexible room-in-room system creates a zoned work environment that accommodates a variety of tasks. Storage spaces, whiteboards, and acoustic panels are seamlessly integrated into the frame system. Around the building’s core functional areas and zones for focused work, a mix of different work typologies emerges. These include open areas designed to encourage collaboration and interaction, as well as quieter spaces for concentrated, focused work.

Alcoves that protrude from the building façade allow employees to sit among the treetops or enjoy views of the production halls. These alcoves function as private retreats or meeting niches, while also showcasing the company’s working culture to the outside world—openly transparent and proudly innovative.

The top floor is the “creative tree crown.” It features a large meeting room with a mobile partition wall and non-static furnishings to promote agile working practices. Surrounded by lush greenery, the Innovation Pavilion creates a “creative jungle” atmosphere that defies traditional conference room design. Combined with the adjacent roof terrace, this area fosters a new sense of togetherness.

Above the main entrance, a fruit tree orchard symbolizes the company’s commitment to nature and sustainability. This green oasis, set amidst industrial production halls, also serves as a tribute to Bionade’s origins—crafting a natural, fruit-based soft drink using traditional beer-brewing methods.

The building envelope further emphasizes sustainability. A disused Bionade brewing kettle was melted down to create the copper cladding for the building, blending the brand’s history with the modern working world. This approach integrates the essence of the brand and its corporate history into the building’s DNA with striking effect.

The material palette reflects the diversity of flavors offered by Hassia and Bionade. A concrete core-activated ceiling supports environmentally friendly heating, while a lamella ceiling made from recycled PET bottles ensures excellent acoustics

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Together with carpets from the OBJECT CARPET × Ippolito Fleitz Group collection—crafted from Econyl yarn sourced from repurposed fishing nets—the ceiling and flooring reflect a commitment to sustainability and sound business practices.

Another effective acoustic element is the wooden wall paneling, which runs throughout the office. A standout feature is the deep-blue wall tiles on the ground floor, evoking the signature color of a drinks crate. These tiles are both eye-catching and an innovative representation of how brand identity can be captured in a single design element.