New Talanx office building officially inaugurated

Hannover, 2 December 2011
With more than 100 representatives of political and economic life in attendance, the new Talanx office building in Hannover-Lahe was officially inaugurated today. The building, which houses several companies belonging to the Talanx Group, is home to 1,850 employees who have been brought together from various locations in Hannover. The new building had become necessary because a total of some 800 new jobs had been created as a consequence of the integration of the former Gerling workforce as well as new appointments.

The building was completed in a good two years, with ground being broken on 23 June 2009. The construction costs were in the order of EUR 180 million. Overall, the new structure was designed and erected – from an ecological perspective – in accordance with the very latest state of the art in technology. Environmentally friendly measures, most notably geothermal drilling, reduce heating costs substantially. Further features are triple glazing, intelligent sunblind management with light control, room lighting with presence detectors and so on. The energy standards of the new building are 30% lower than legal requirements. Rainwater is redistributed in full across the grounds of the property. Numerous underground storage basins ensure that – in the event of heavy rain – water is quickly channeled from the surface, temporarily retained and then gradually irrigated back into the soil. This measure too helps to save considerable operating expenditures. The additional benefit is that the rainwater does not enter the sewage system or need to be purified at treatment plants.

Both David McAllister, Minister-President of Lower Saxony, and Stephan Weil, Lord Mayor of the City of Hannover, went out of their way to praise Talanx's commitment to Hannover as a business location. Minister-President David McAllister: "The new building strengthens Hannover as a center for the insurance industry. It is another important sign of the commitment shown by the Talanx Group to Lower Saxony. The structure is – bearing in mind its dimensions and the special attention paid to a sustainable energy concept – something rather special for Hannover." "With this new building Talanx is showing its commitment to Hannover as a place for doing business. This is something that I find especially pleasing. This investment reinforces the traditionally strong position enjoyed by our city as a major player in the insurance sector", Lord Mayor Stephan Weil noted in his address.

The project sponsor Dr. Christian Hinsch, Chief Executive Officer of HDI-Gerling Industrie Versicherung AG and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Management of Talanx AG, praised the building's many qualities which have been very well received by staff: "The building is transparent, distinct, open and straight. These attributes become an insurance company well. After all we want to provide confidence and not concealment."