Rockywood

The Rockywood project in Offenbach is an example of modern and sustainable construction in the commercial building sector. The building complex consists of two five-storey office buildings that are connected to each other via a shared base level. This houses a garage at ground level with around 60 parking spaces for cars and additional bicycle parking spaces.

The outdoor areas were designed with a particular focus on quality of stay and user-friendliness. The heart of the facility is the so-called playground on the second floor – a publicly accessible meeting point for exercise, encounters and smaller events. From here, steps lead down to the adjacent birch grove, which serves as a green rest area.

A central feature of Rockywood is the combination of conventional and modern construction methods. The first construction phase, "Rocky", was built in solid reinforced concrete. This construction allows for largely column-free loft spaces, creating flexible floor plans and open office areas with views of the Main River and the Frankfurt skyline.

With the exception of the first floor, the second construction phase, "Woodie", was built using prefabricated timber modules. The modules were manufactured and assembled by an Austrian timber construction company. The interfaces between the timber modules, the concrete structure and the subsequent fit-out posed a particular planning and technical challenge. The timber construction not only characterizes the architectural appearance, but also makes a significant ecological contribution: in total, the installed timber elements bind around 2,800 tons of CO₂ and thus measurably improve the project's carbon footprint.

An important component of the overall ecological concept is the "Woodcycle" replanting program. The amount of wood used in the building is replanted over an area of around six hectares in the long term – an example of climate-neutral construction and closed material cycles.

The project has won several awards – including the German Real Estate Award 2024 in the Green Project category and the Brownfield Award 2025 (2nd place, Sustainability category).

The gross floor area of around 11,000 m² offers space for a variety of uses. In addition to office space, the first floor also houses areas for restaurants, sports and social projects, including a training center used by the local boxing club. The upper floors offer modern working environments that impress with natural materials, bright lighting and flexible room layouts.

ZÜBLIN was responsible for the complete turnkey construction services of the project – from the structural works in in-situ reinforced concrete and prefabricated construction to all finishing trades, the building technology and the façade design. Our services included the coordination of all subcontractors, the planning and execution of the technical building services (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical) and the design of the interiors. Particular attention was paid to the selection of high-quality surfaces that create a pleasant working atmosphere and at the same time meet high acoustic and fire protection requirements.

Rockywood Offenbach impressively demonstrates how economically viable office space can be combined with high ecological and social standards. The building represents a symbiosis of technical innovation, functional design and responsibility towards the environment and society. As part of the urban development of Offenbach's port area, Rockywood contributes to the transformation of a former industrial site into a modern, mixed-use urban quarter and sets new standards for sustainable construction in Germany.

Rockywood was designed from the outset with sustainability, resource conservation and energy efficiency in mind. In addition to the high proportion of wood, modern building technology and a comprehensive energy management system were used. The construction site itself was certified according to the criteria of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) and received the "Sustainable Construction Site" award.

Certified by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)

Ed. Züblin AG is pursuing several goals with this project: A sustainable construction site organisation, the conservation of resources as well as the minimisation of emissions, responsibility for the health and well-being of the builders, the cultivation of good neighbourliness and, of course, high-quality construction. For this, Ed. Züblin AG was the first company to be recognised by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB).

Here you can find more information about the DGNB system for sustainable construction sites: https://www.dgnb.de/en/certification/buildings/construction-site

Selected measures in the project