HANOVER, Germany–Continental AG laid the foundation stone today for a new company headquarters building.
CEO Dr. Elmar Degenhart and Executive Board members Dr. Ariane Reinhart and Wolfgang Schäfer hosted Wednesday’s ceremony at the construction site on Hans-Böckler-Allee. As such, construction work is right on schedule.
An important part of the ceremony was the copper time capsule, which was placed inside the symbolic foundation stone and contains a piece of rubber from the tire production facilities, the latest Continental employee magazine and the core component of the electric vehicle power electronics developed and series-produced by Continental.
These objects symbolize both the roots and the future of the technology company. Once the base had been sealed with a concrete slab, the members of the Executive Board rounded off the event by delivering the ceremonial hammer blows.
CEO Dr. Elmar Degenhart said: “It is on the foundations of our corporate culture that we are constructing our new company headquarters”
The first development phase for the building complex is to be completed by the end of 2020 and to provide space for 1,250 employees. According to the plans, later expansion to 1,600 workplaces is an option. Relocation of the employees should be completed in 2021, in time for the company’s 150th anniversary.
“Continental has been enjoying rapid, profitable growth for many years. This is reflected in our growing workforce around the world. In recent years, the corporate headquarters has become too small for the nearly 900 employees. Now we are creating the necessary space in a modern headquarters that will be a credit to our birthplace, Hanover,” commented Degenhart. “We are building a creative Continental campus. It will connect people and promote personal dialog between them. They will find areas where they can retreat to concentrate in peace and quiet. At the same time, we are setting up open areas that encourage creative sharing of ideas and knowledge.”
The new Continental campus will consist of a total of eight buildings, which will be connected to each other by four bridges. The longest of these, with a span of 71 meters, will extend over Hans-Böckler-Allee. In combination with the buildings, it will form the landmark at the eastern entrance to the state capital city of Hanover near the Pferdeturm.
