Sustainable building
PostFinance moves into new headquarters built to the MINERGIE-ECO® standard
The reception area at the new headquarters is spacious and modern.
In April 2013, PostFinance Ltd moved into its new headquarters. The 55-metre-high tower was built to comply with the MINERGIE-ECO® standard, which is demanding in terms of stability of value, building ecology, energy consumption and the quality of the workplace.
Right next to SC Berne's ice hockey stadium, the PostFinance Arena, there is a new 13-storey building that accommodates 850 PostFinance employees with 15,000 square metres of office space. The building is joined to the stadium annex building, which houses another 450 employees. In these two buildings in Berne, which serve as its headquarters, PostFinance houses the majority of its 1,800 employees, creating synergies and savings on journey times and costs.
Employees enjoy zones for concentration, interaction, and regeneration.
The PostFinance headquarters is certified in accordance with the standards of the MINERGIE® and eco-bau associations. The MINERGIE® standard is a voluntary construction standard for low-energy buildings that requires the efficient use of energy, the use of renewable energy and the reduction of environmental pollution. At PostFinance, 18 geothermal probes penetrating to a depth of 330 metres make use of the ambient heat. Three heat pumps are used for heating and hot water, two of which can also be used as air-conditioning units. Thermoactive ceiling elements regulate the temperature of the offices, make use of residual heat, and also control humidity.
The MINERGIE-ECO® standard requires excellent quality in the workplace, including optimum daylight conditions and good ventilation. At PostFinance, fresh air is supplied continuously through raised floors in the offices. Sound insulation, against outside noise and also between offices, is another criterion. This is achieved at PostFinance by sophisticated workplace design, with areas for concentration, interaction, and regeneration, and environmentally sound, durable felt soundproofing elements made from recycled PET.
The MINERGIE-ECO® standard
To obtain the MINERGIE-ECO® standard certification, requirements in the areas of comfort, energy efficiency, health and building ecology must be met. Total energy consumption must be 20 percent below the average of the best available technology, and the fossil fuel share must be below 50 percent. The stability of value of the building and the raw and finished materials used are inspected, as is the energy used for their production.