Modern customer service center of WGV Stuttgart - DIA

Based on a comprehensive usage analysis and the principles of WGV, DIA Dittel Architekten are realizing the insurer’s future-oriented customer service center in Stuttgart city center after winning the architectural competition.
The aim of the holistic design concept is to create space for personal customer advice and its processes. The aim is to welcome customers and employees with a special quality of stay, optimal orientation and a high-quality overall appearance and to use the space efficiently. The customer service center should be clearly recognizable from the outside and have an appealing appearance in the urban space.

The heart of WGV is being built as part of an energy-efficient new building with a total area of 7,300 square meters on six floors and underground parking, which blends harmoniously into the cityscape with its appealing appearance and at the same time opens another chapter in the more than 100-year history of WGV in Stuttgart. The new customer service center on the first floor and the modern working environment on the office floors above provide space for 230 insurance employees.

The new customer service center, on the first floor of the new building, is divided into three clearly and functionally designed zones covering around 600 square meters, allowing a dynamic and intuitive tour through the individual areas of use: Reception, waiting area and consultation areas. The two entrances to the customer service center via the main entrance on the corner of Tübinger Strasse and Feinstrasse and via the underground car park lead directly and with visual contact to the reception and information desk. The quality of the entrance from the underground car park is enhanced by drawing the façade into the interior, allowing the inside and outside to merge. The view into the open space is unobstructed and the funnel-like design of the existing corridor situation naturally guides visitors into the customer service center. Welcome to WGV!

The design of the reception desk as a defining element and contact point for all customers reflects the route axes, welcomes visitors from both entrances equally and also offers service staff an optimal overview of the waiting area. Customers can take a seat on the comfortable seating islands in the waiting area, which is centrally located. A wall element with integrated functions such as an information screen, holders for currently changing flyers and water dispensers provides waiting staff with initial information and ensures an entertaining stay. The view of the green inner courtyard in combination with the integrated planting in the waiting and entrance area also creates a pleasant atmosphere and a healthy indoor climate.

“Nothing more and nothing less” are the clear principles of WGV as a reliable partner that only offers customers what they really need. Derived from the identity of the company and the long-term use for the WGV customer service center, the chosen materials are durable and reflect timelessness in their quality and appearance. The light-colored terrazzo flooring as a continuous floor covering gives the customer service center a high-quality and spacious appearance and stands in cool contrast to the warm-looking oak wood, which is used in the slatted structure of the consultation areas and in elements of the reception counter. Fine brass pilaster strips frame areas and subtly mark out zones. The light wall and ceiling color is reflected in the body of the reception desk and in the solid surface table tops. It underlines the clear design language that results from the room structure and the functions of the individual uses. A muted petrol shade as a textile color accent of the seating islands refers to the CI color of WGV. Individual anthracite-colored wall surfaces and ceiling areas create harmonious contrasts and provide orientation in the room.

The ceiling supports the zoning and routing in the customer center by creating ceiling panels above the individual areas of use. In areas with increased sound insulation requirements, a high-quality acoustic ceiling and panels in the room ensure balanced and appropriate room acoustics with the necessary discretion and speech intelligibility. The suspended white plasterboard ceiling over the entire remaining area serves to integrate technology and ventilation. The lighting concept with predominantly flush-mounted spotlights is complemented by linear pendant luminaires at the consultation areas. In the areas above the reception and the waiting area, indirect, all-round ambient lighting analogous to the floor pilaster strips and accent lights attract particular attention. The combination of architectural solutions, timeless design and high quality gives the WGV customer service center a unique character throughout Germany.

Lighting design: Pfarré Lighting Design, Munich