Deutsche Bundesbank abandons plans to expand office space as more worker go remote

Its forthcoming new strategy for the Frankfurt location will encompass the Bundesbank’s Regional Office buildings in the city centre. Work on renovating the main building, which has been listed as a cultural monument since May 2022, will continue. “The Bundesbank is very attached to its listed main building,” Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel stated. At the same time, the Bundesbank is also looking into whether its other existing buildings in Frankfurt require renovation. Details of this strategy for the Frankfurt location are under final review. “The strategic realignment is based on our employee-friendly remote working rules and new office occupancy principles,” Mr Nagel explained.

The Bundesbank decided to reassess the project to expand its Central Office in Frankfurt at the beginning of 2023. The objective of the review is to redraw the plans, which were developed before the pandemic, with reduced scale and cost. Since mid-2023, employees are, moreover, entitled to work up to 60% of their working hours remotely.

In its new plans, the Bundesbank is guided by the recommendation of the Federal Environment Agency’s Commission for Sustainable Construction Agency to preserve existing building stock where possible in order to avoid greenhouse gas emissions and excessive consumption of raw materials.

The buildings on the premises of the Bundesbank’s Central Office and its Regional Office in Hesse will be designed according to modern workplace principles. The majority of office workstations will be used flexibly by multiple employees.