Eye of the beholder
The new Bayer AG Group headquarters building in Leverkusen has been given this year's Honor Award for Architecture by The American Institute of Architects (AIA). The award will be presented at an AIA ceremony in Chicago on 10 June, and will be accepted by the German-born, US-based architect Helmut Jahn, who designed the building.
The semi-elliptical, transparent building was officially inaugurated in October 2002. The unusual design of the four-storey structure and its environment-friendly climate-control system has drawn experts and people with an interest in architecture from all over the world to Leverkusen.
The new group HQ building is the nerve-centre of Bayer's global activities. Besides the board of management, 275 employees of the holding company work there.