New Continental Headquarters
press release
20/01/2026
Hannover, Germany
Zumtobel integrates lighting, acoustics, and digital building management in new Continental headquarters
The new Continental AG headquarters building in Hanover offers a new working environment for around 2,400 employees. Designed by the architectural firm HENN, the corporate campus consists of interconnected individual buildings spread across two separate plots of land, which are connected by a 70-meter-long bridge. The so-called Loop, a visible Continental yellow band along the façade, not only visually connects the six buildings, but also the different room typologies. This has created places for concentrated work and deliberate retreat, as well as areas for meeting and exchange. The work areas, restaurant, and cafeterias were designed by the Ippolito Fleitz Group. The lighting solutions from Zumtobel, based on a lighting design by a·g Licht, support the basic concept of the building complex.
An office with revolutionary lighting
In the new Continental AG headquarters in Hanover, lighting was an important part of the planning at a very early stage of the project. This made it possible to meet the demanding requirements for acoustics and flexibility in the installation of the acoustically effective slatted ceiling from HAUFE Deckensysteme, with integrated Zumtobel SUPERSYSTEM inline luminaires. In the work areas, the elegant light lines fit perfectly into the narrow spaces between the acoustic slats. Not only can they be installed without tools but also connect easily to the micro-perforated slats of the ceiling without the need for additional suspension from the raw ceiling. "The lighting design for the Continental headquarters reinforces our central design idea: The Loop, a continuous spatial continuum, runs through all the buildings and connects them with each other. Continuous light strips underline the dynamics of the architectural design and mark the Loop both internally and externally as the heart of the ensemble," explains Martin Henn, managing director and design principal at the architectural firm HENN.
Spatial concept and lighting design: a harmonious interplay
Continental remains true to the linear look in the adjoining rooms as well as in the hallways and corridors. There, the decision was made to use the SLOTLIGHT infinity slim continuous row lighting system. This creates a uniform and clear overall look that makes it possible to divide open spaces into functional units. The lighting intuitively highlights various possible uses: creative brainstorming at the conference table, confidential exchanges in the seating niche, or zones for concentrated individual work.
"The aim of our design for the working environments was to create a confident and memorable appearance. Well-planned lighting differentiates the various areas of use, aids orientation, and enhances the spatial effect and identity of the individual locations. For example, a light cove becomes a striking companion to the walkways, and the elegant light lines become the trademark of the working environments,"
explains Peter Ippolito, co-founder and managing director of the Ippolito Fleitz Group.
The responsible lighting designer, a·g Licht, opted for a combination of project-specific luminaires and standard products from Zumtobel. From the outset, the lighting solution was complemented by digital building management. The resulting overall concept is characterized by maximum sustainability, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of the lighting system.
“On the one hand, we used the SLOTLIGHT infinity slim continuous row lighting system to create a connecting element between all the buildings in the Continental ensemble, thus creating a visual anchor for the external appearance,” says Daniel Walden, lighting designer and managing partner of a·g Licht. “Furthermore, this project enabled us to specifically expand the SUPERSYSTEM product range with an ‘inline’ variant. This is not a lighting solution from the catalog, but a particularly sustainable and energy-efficient concept developed individually for the customer.”
Smart building system and digital building management
Sensors measure the amount of light entering the building so that the lighting can be adjusted to the respective situation throughout the day. This enables Continental to save energy in the long term and contribute to the sustainability of its headquarters. With the development of the SUPERSYSTEM inline, Zumtobel has enabled the integration of sensor technology into the smart building system for a wide range of applications. By combining lighting, sensor technology, and building management software, processes in the company building are transparently mapped and optimized in line with the Internet of Things (IoT).
“The Zumtobel lighting infrastructure enables the building management platform to retrieve data on energy consumption and efficiency,” says Tilo Meier, Project Lead at Zumtobel. Communication takes place through a dense mesh network within the building. "The occupancy of training and meeting rooms can also be visualized digitally via the platform, enabling long-term space optimization. Even questions such as ‘Does a room need to be cleaned?’ can be answered through the intelligent combination of lighting and sensor technology."
The new Continental AG headquarters building impressively demonstrates the strength of partnerships. Together, architectural and technological milestones were set to advance sustainable solutions for new working environments.