With floor space of around 7,000sq.m, the Innovation Campus provides plenty of room for cross-functional teams to carry out projects in the development and marketing of audio solutions. The ground floor of the state-of-the-art building even accommodates a theatre and Germany's first Sennheiser Flagship Store, which enables customers to gain hands-on experience of the brand and its products.
"With our new Innovation Campus, Sennheiser now has the biggest and most modern centre for innovation in the entire audio industry," explained CEO Dr. Andreas Sennheiser. "We have created the space to develop innovations that are targeted even more directly at the customer. This is apparent not only in the building's architecture but also in a new way of working. Groundbreaking ideas are created in cross-functional, international project teams that take pioneering audio solutions all the way to the customer. And our passion for audio technology can be experienced by everyone who visits our Flagship Store."
Lower Saxony's Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport, Olaf Lies, congratulated Sennheiser electronic on the completion of its new flagship. "This is an impressive new facility and I am very pleased to see this clear sign of the company's commitment to its headquarters in Wedemark. The sustained success of Sennheiser electronic is not down to chance, but is the result of entrepreneurial action that is alert to every change in customers' needs and in the markets and which responds to these changes wisely and courageously. The new Innovation Campus is Sennheiser electronic's answer to the challenges of the 21st century. The Campus offers state-of-the-art working conditions and will therefore not only attract expert specialists but will also create the foundation for ingenious product innovations."
Other speakers included the Mayor of the Municipality of Wedemark, Helge Zychlinski, and Sennheiser's Project Manager for the Innovation Campus, Dr. Axel Schmidt.
At the Sennheiser Flagship Store, the guests attending the ceremony had the opportunity not only to see highlights from Sennheiser's product range but also to witness two exceptional performances: the artist Nik Nowak presented his work at the interface between sculpture and sound, while tonmeister Gregor Zielinsky gave an insight into the revolutionary 3D Audio technology ("Immersive Audio"), which is well known for such exciting applications as the sound installations for the exhibition "David Bowie Is".
Guided tours through the building gave a good impression of the many project areas aimed at promoting creative teamwork while at the same time illustrating the architectural design principle of propagating sound waves, which extends from the roof design and the green spaces right through to the generously sized forecourt.
In addition to the reception area and the Flagship Store, the public section of the building also has a small cafe and a 200-seat theatre, which boasts an exterior design inspired by Sennheiser's iconic MD 421 microphone.
"This theatre is primarily used to test and complete our stage products and to provide space for events in our large international Sennheiser network," explained Andreas Sennheiser. "We are also in discussion with the University of Music, Drama and Media Hannover (HMTMH) concerning further opportunities for usage. We have maintained an excellent partnership with the HMTMH for ten years now. One idea is to use this auditorium to provide a forum for young people who are just starting out on their artistic career - for example by offering regular concerts in which we can introduce these artists to the public."
(Jim Evans)
