A Deconstruction as a Major Project - Areal Manager at Roche | Roche

Ingo Heyerichs is part of a special project that will fundamentally change the face of the Roche site in Mannheim: The demolition of the 900-workstation entrance building on the Sandhofer Street. Since July 2020, he has been part of Roche as an Areal manager and now already has his first big challenge to master.

I am Ingo Heyerichs and I take care of the infrastructural facilities at Roche in Mannheim. This means that our 460,000m2 campus in the north of Mannheim gets what it needs: roads, supply and disposal lines of many different media, and new buildable areas created by demolishing old buildings. My team and I are responsible both for the new buildings and for their upkeep and maintenance. What I like most about my work is that it is very versatile and different areas of activity always have to be considered together in some way. A great plus of my job is that I always get to meet a lot of people! Because my job requires a lot of professional and technical coordination - I'm very often in contact with technicians and engineers.
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Our impact

My current project is the deconstruction of the former administration building on the Hightech Campus in Mannheim. For decades it was the flagship for the campus in Mannheim with a considerable history and provided 900 workplaces on 25,000m2. The deconstruction of a building on such a scale is a major task and very rare. And it is more than just a "demolition", as well as this building is more than just concrete: In addition to many different departments, the security and the management also had their professional home there. After the building provided employees with quite a few team meetings, coffee breaks and Christmas parties, we may lose the building, but not the memories.

Our Roche site in Mannheim has a history dating back more than 130 years. In addition to listed buildings from the 19th century, we still manage many buildings from the 60s and 70s. These buildings no longer meet our sustainability standards. For example, the former administration building can no longer remain as it does not meet today's energy standards. We will deliberately "deconstruct" rather than "demolish" in order to be able to deal with the resulting deconstruction materials in a sustainable manner.

The 60+ year old nature of the building makes deconstruction very complex. With old structures, one must pay very close attention to materials that are contaminated with pollutants. Furthermore, in addition to the actual building, deconstruction also involves a close look at all the supply and disposal lines that were necessary to operate a building. A certain attention to detail becomes an advantage and a necessity here. This project suits me so well because I implement each of my tasks with just this attention to detail. Even in my youth as a competitive swimmer, I noticed that I am very ambitious and determined, which also helps me in my current job.

The place to work

The Hightech Campus Mannheim is in a constant state of modernization: With every deconstruction, space is created for something new. So while the project is an end, it is also a new beginning. As a parting gift, the building's exterior façade became a canvas. A street artist from the region created a pop-up artwork for us that gives a glimpse into the future. In the future, the entrance area of the campus will be an open, green meeting space. It reflects Roche's values such as openness, transparency and sustainability, which I appreciate very much as an employee.

Our culture

At Roche, one benefits from a unique working atmosphere. I appreciate the "Duz" culture among colleagues. I was positively surprised by this, as I was not used to this environment. People approach each other and show their willingness to help and openness, which makes my work much easier. The team and respectful interaction with each other are important values in everyday work.