At the beginning of 2022, MCI was commissioned to equip the new so-called OTTO Headquarters on the Hamburg Otto Group campus with state-of-the-art media technology. The building, a former warehouse and logistics facility, was sustainably converted into the new main headquarters and officially opened on April 16, 2024. Spanning over 40,000 square meters, it now offers a modern office environment with 1,600 workstations for 3,000 employees.
MCI was responsible for equipping the eight-story building with advanced yet user-friendly media technology. This includes the spacious foyer on the ground floor, featuring the event area with a large LED wall and atrium staircase, the conference floor on the first level, the standard office floors, and the executive floor at the top. Nearly 180 classic conference and meeting rooms, meeting and collaboration areas, as well as numerous social spaces, were equipped for flexible use.
The contract was divided into two lots: conference and event areas. The conference lot was designed by Otto-IT, while the event area planning was handled by Thomas Hülsmann of Thomnet Engineering, who also took over project supervision and site management for the entire media technology project.
Event Area on the Ground and First Floors (LED Wall and Atrium Staircase)
At the heart of the building, the light-flooded foyer features a large INFiLED LED wall, providing a venue for events with several hundred participants. A flexible stage is available for a variety of event formats. Media technology is controlled via a mobile FOH station. The ground floor contains three event spaces: the foyer itself, an event area with an adjoining lounge—both of which can be used separately or together. The technical and architectural setup supports a wide range of event concepts, such as press conferences, film screenings, or modern discussion formats. The first-floor gallery can also be used to accommodate guests during events.
The main media technology components and infrastructure are housed in a central equipment room within the event area of what is called Building 4. Video signals are transmitted via a video-over-IP network using Atlona OmniStream encoders and decoders. The Crestron CP4N media control system, with partially mobile touch panels, allows for complex signal routing, lighting, and building technology control throughout the ground floor. Linear TV signals are distributed building-wide via a GigaBlue Sat-IP TV headend.
Alongside central media technology devices and systems, various 19" stage boxes are available for flexible AV signal transmission throughout the event area, lounge, and foyer.
For event lighting in the stage, lounge, and foyer, various Desisti LED spotlights were installed on custom trusses. Lighting scenes are managed through ETC DMX lighting processors integrated into the media control system.
Two Epson EB-L1500UH projectors with 12,000 lumens, together with four mobile 75" Samsung displays, ensure that presentation content can be viewed from any point in the event area. For enlarged display of podium speakers via projectors and displays, for Microsoft Teams videoconferencing, and for event recording via Microsoft Stream, several Panasonic 4K PTZ cameras are used—remotely controlled from the production control room.
The control room itself is equipped with a compact TF3 audio mixer with Dante interface from Yamaha, a BMD Atem video mixer with Skaarhoj control panel, a 32" multiviewer monitor, various control PCs, camera control, and switchable Gude IP power strips. Source and sink signals are also routed to the control room via Atlona OmniStream encoders and decoders.
Events thrive not only on high-quality visuals but also on premium sound. The entire ground floor is equipped with Shure ULXD4Q digital microphones on a Dante basis and a range of handheld and bodypack transmitters, including headsets.
Three different sound reinforcement systems are used for the event area: an active front system with beam-steering loudspeakers and subwoofers from Fohhn at the podium, 42 JBL ceiling speakers for even coverage of the middle and rear zones, and four additional full-range speakers from Kling & Freitag for fishbowl-style setups. The lounge area is similarly equipped, but on a smaller scale.
The foyer impresses with a 30-square-meter INFiLED LED wall suspended between the first and second floors. It consists of 144 cabinets with a native pixel structure of 2,304 x 1,296 pixels. A Datapath FX4 scaler adjusts video signals to the desired resolution. The wall’s brightness is managed by Novastar light and temperature sensors to prevent overheating and ensure consistent luminosity and operational reliability.
As in the event area, a Panasonic PTZ camera is used in the foyer for recording, streaming, and videoconferencing, enhanced by a person-tracking system. Microphone and lighting technology mirrors that of the event area. Kling & Freitag VIDA L 3-way beam-steering line array speakers frame the LED wall, which also houses four 15" subwoofers as a bass array. Additional VIDA L and VIDA M systems are located on the bridge on the second floor, completing the sound system, which was optimally tuned and configured by MCI.
Conference, Meeting, and Collaboration Spaces on the Upper Floors
Across the eight upper floors are 177 diverse spaces, from coffee and video conference lounges, think tanks, and stand-up meeting points to project garages and traditional conference and meeting rooms. Themed social spaces on each floor offer areas for exchange and team events. Digital signage displays throughout the building keep employees informed in elevators, lounges, and social spaces.
The first floor—the main conference level—features all room types, especially project garages and classic conference rooms. All other types are distributed across the remaining floors.
“Even during planning, we were surprised by the rapid changes in work habits due to COVID,” says Matthias Kober from the Otto Group. “Many people work from home or from the office. Meeting room planning had to account for these circumstances,” he adds. “To facilitate communication between people in the office, at home, and at other locations, we planned and tested very easy-to-use MTR systems with good audio and video quality for all 180 meeting rooms,” adds his colleague Andreas Grundei.
The smallest meeting units are think tanks, designed for quick, spontaneous exchanges with up to four people and not bookable via the central room booking system. A total of 84 rooms were equipped with a 43" Samsung display and an additional HDMI table connection. Fifty-nine rooms are classic in design, with standing tables and bar stools or regular tables and chairs; the remaining 25 think tanks are more homelike and cozy with lounge seating and small side tables.
Next in size are 14 video conference lounges (ViKo lounges) with dual 65" Samsung displays, a Yealink MVC860 Microsoft Teams Room system, two Shure Microflex MXA710 ceiling microphones, and a Fohhn soundbar. These rooms focus on hybrid collaboration, with furniture optimized for the media technology—typically a V-shaped sofa centrally placed in front of the displays and several smaller tables in the center.
An unusual concept is implemented with 15 project garages as flexible meeting spaces for intensive project work and workshops, furnished with movable furniture. Users can arrange the room as needed, and some project garages can be resized with movable partitions. Equipped with mobile 65" or 55" Samsung Flip 2 whiteboard touch displays, a Poly Studio USB conference camera, and a USB-C Lenovo docking station, these rooms also support hybrid formats.
“The diverse range of room types and the generous yet discreetly integrated media technology in the foyer and event areas made the project highly varied for us,” says MCI project manager Jan Jochmann, adding, “Collaboration with the Otto team was always excellent and solution-oriented throughout the more than two years.”
The 46 standard meeting rooms come in three sizes: 30 for up to ten people, eight for 17–30 people, and eight for 11–16 people. Smaller rooms were equipped with 55" or 65" displays and a Yealink MTR system MVC400 with BYOM extender, including a soundbar with integrated microphones and camera, easily operated via a supplied touch display. Medium and large rooms are similarly equipped to the ViKo lounges, with 65" or 75" Samsung dual displays, a Yealink MTR system, Shure Microflex ceiling microphones, and Fohhn soundbars.
The five large conference rooms are flexible for various event concepts and can be furnished with cinema seating or conference tables in different combinations. Each is equipped with an Epson projector projecting onto a specially treated wall. These rooms are the only ones featuring Crestron media control, a Crestron MTR system with Aver PTZ camera, Fohhn 2-way line array speakers with subwoofer, and Shure wireless microphones. All technology, including the subwoofer, is integrated into media furniture adjacent to the projection surface.
The media technology installation is rounded out by seven social spaces on floors two through eight, each featuring a kitchenette and lounge area with various seating and standing options. Each is designed with a unique theme and serves primarily as a break room but can also host small events such as presentations or team meetings outside regular hours. Each social space is equipped with an Epson projector, a motorized Projecta screen, and two Apart active speakers. Atlona OmniStream encoders and decoders are again used for signal transmission. Only on the fifth floor is a 75" Samsung display used instead of projection. The stand-up meeting points are similarly equipped.
All kitchens, as well as two project garages and coffee lounges, are equipped with additional 55" Samsung digital signage displays. Further displays are used as information displays for the meeting room floor. Except for the think tanks, all rooms can be booked via the central Evoko Liso booking system, with each room featuring an Evoko 8" touch display for booking visualization.
The new building officially opened in early April 2024.
