Inviting and sustainable: Bright materials, modern fittings and more space are features of the renovated social wing at Einbeck.
Main social wing
Clean and chic
More lockers, new showers, optimized access to toilets: More than 450 employees benefit from the renovated main social wing in Einbeck.
When our colleagues from production, the workshop and the nursery have finished their day’s work, you can see that their work, sometimes in three daily shifts, has exposed them to soil from the field, grease and oil from machinery. They have the right to change their clothes and take a shower at work. “The social wing with its showers, changing rooms and toilets is actually used around the clock,” states Emin Degirmenci, Senior Construction Engineer at KWS.
However, the social wing in Hall IV and Institute Building 5 had grown long in the tooth. The building dates from 1996. Due to the fact that it was built so long ago, the facilities were suffering from wear and tear, pipes were corroded and the space for lockers was far too limited in light of our growing headcount.
A large number of different departments in the Real Estate (formerly Facility Management) department got involved in the redesign under a project managed by Emin Degirmenci. “Never before has such a large investment been made in a social wing at KWS,” says the site manager, emphasizing that this step shows appreciation for the colleagues who will benefit from the renovation work. The support of the Works Council was also a big help.
“We put a lot of emphasis on high-quality materials.”
Emin Degirmenci
New room concept
The most striking aspect is that the arrangement of the rooms has changed. Previously, you could reach the showers from the changing room only by going through the toilets. And if you wanted to go to the toilet from the adjacent recreation room or the offices, you first had to go through the changing room. Now you can get to the toilets directly from both sides.
The redesign means there are now enough lockers in the men’s and women’s changing rooms for the current workforce of 350 men and 100 women. “The conversion work has created space for at least 50 more colleagues.”
The concept has also made the social wing much more inviting. “We put a lot of emphasis on high-quality, bright materials.” The shower cubicles are separated from each other so as to ensure more privacy – nothing is makeshift any longer, but “a unified whole.” Directly adjacent to the showers is an area where people have more space to finish dressing away from the lockers.
Less water and power consumption
The refurbishment has also delivered progress in terms of sustainability: The fittings cut water consumption and the energy used to heat water by 50 percent. Lighting, heating and ventilation also meet modern standards for conserving resources.
Emin Degirmenci voices his compliments about how his colleagues took the renovation from the end of 2022 to May 2023 in their stride – because the social wing had to remain in use despite the construction work. However, he feels sure: “We’ve now created something here that will be functional and chic for the next 25 years.” |
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© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2025
