Locations
Fieldfisher welcomes its clients and employees to the new EDGE HafenCity Hamburg at Amerigo-Vespucci-Platz 1. With the relocation of its German founding location to Baakenhafen, the international commercial law firm is once again underlining its strong growth course and at the same time the consistent continuation of the company-wide ESG strategy.
"In 2020, despite coronavirus and the changes in working methods, we decided to expand. In EDGE Technologies, we have found a great partner and one of the most exciting office projects in Germany that sets new standards in terms of sustainability requirements. We are now delighted to finally be able to move into our new home," says Philipp Plog, Managing Partner of Fieldfisher in Germany.
EDGE HafenCity Hamburg is one of the most modern office buildings in Germany and is pre-certified to the WELL Core & Shell Platinum standard – the highest certificate awarded by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The performance criteria assessed by the IWBI include air, water, nutrition, light, movement, thermal comfort, acoustics, low-emission materials and other factors. Together with Fieldfisher, EDGE Technologies has worked towards this in a collaborative process with a space concept specifically designed for wellbeing. All workstations are brightly lit, both by natural daylight coming in through glass facades and atria and by ceiling lighting of at least 500 lux. An intelligent digital infrastructure gives employees control over their environment so that they can individually configure their working conditions, such as temperature and lighting. In addition, air quality sensors in the meeting rooms and variable volume flow controllers ensure automatic adjustment of the room ventilation in the event of an increase in CO2 levels.
The building has also been pre-certified with the HafenCity Platinum eco-label. This award from HafenCity Hamburg GmbH (HCH) is given to buildings at the platinum level for exceptional achievements in sustainable construction and the use of energy resources.
"For us, the move is much more than just a change of location. Above all, it is also a commitment to our ambitious ESG goals – to sustainability and to a modern, inclusive and innovative working environment for our employees. We are convinced that our new concept will unleash further forces within the company and also see this forward-looking project as a symbol of Fieldfisher's values as a law firm," Plog continues.
Fieldfisher's new office at EDGE HafenCity Hamburg is a reflection of what Fieldfisher aims to achieve as part of its company-wide ESG strategy. The office space was developed with the aim of promoting the health and well-being of all employees in every respect. Materials and furniture have been carefully selected to fulfil the sustainability targets set in terms of circularity and improving the carbon footprint. The office has also been designed to support different types of meetings and individual working in equal measure. The HR guidelines and additional benefits for employees have also been optimised in line with well-being requirements, for example through stress reduction and preventive healthcare programmes.
Healthy working is supported by ergonomic office workstations equipped with sit-stand desks, adjustable chairs and screens. Employees have access to healthy, organically grown food, including vegan products. An in-house fitness playground, open stairwells in the atrium and numerous suggestions for walking meetings, such as the several 100 m² green roof terraces with seating, encourage physical activity. To monitor their state of health, employees can take part in annual check-ups with follow-up counselling.
"With our new location in Hamburg, we are showing that we can shape the workplace of the future. We optimise health and well-being in an entrepreneurial environment and thus create the conditions for the full development of human potential. The Fieldfisher EDGE HafenCity Hamburg project should also serve as a pioneering example for future location decisions," says Alexander Haghani, COO of Fieldfisher in Germany.
EDGE HafenCity Hamburg offers several quiet zones and recreation areas as well as a co-working café on over 2,000 m² of special space. A meditation room and many different plants calm the mind and contribute to a sense of well-being. The BikeHub with charging facilities for e-bikes and 300 bicycle parking spaces, smart lockers and a self-repair area promotes healthy mobility.
The multi-year project was managed by Victor-Alexander Martins Kuenzel, Fieldfisher Partner for construction and property law, and Lena Meyer, Head of Operations.
"In addition to the sustainability and well-being aspects of the building, our new space also offers us enormous flexibility thanks to its size and openness. Right from the start, the core of our New Work-oriented office concept was to emphasise cooperation and exchange across all professional groups with numerous meeting places and a non-hierarchical desk-sharing approach," says Meyer.
Martins Kuenzel adds: "The collaboration with EDGE was great. Every one of our wishes as tenants was to be fulfilled. This even applied to cases that involved changes to the 'Core & Shell' and thus an intervention in an area that should remain largely unaffected by tenant requests. We were only able to bring this project to a successful conclusion in a spirit of partnership thanks to our trusting cooperation.
Since entering the market in 2007, Fieldfisher has developed into the largest and highest-turnover location in Germany alongside the firm's home market in the UK. Most recently, the "Fieldfisher X" unit in Berlin, which specialises in legal tech and legal operations, opened its fifth office in Germany in 2022, alongside Hamburg (2007), Düsseldorf (2011), Munich (2011) and Frankfurt am Main (2018). The law firm, which is represented in the most important European business centres, has recorded steady double-digit revenue growth in Germany for years. In the 2022/2023 financial year, the five German offices generated a total turnover of around EUR 42 million, an increase of 17% compared to the previous year.