We completed our new meeting house just in time for the coronavirus pandemic. We thought it would be great to be ahead of the game, as almost all our colleagues are working from home: We're building a meeting house and nobody was there...

By planning a ventilation system that exchanges all the air every hour, we were already ahead of our time so that we were able to use the house even during the pandemic.

In addition to the special ventilation, we would also like to point out some sustainability aspects that were just as important to us:

• The entire building site was constructed from recycled rubble
• Exterior walls with mineral insulation. This means that the rock wool was actually made from rock and bonded with organic, mineral adhesive mortar. The result: no chemical, but natural materials. This means that in umpteen years' time, when the house is demolished, the concrete can be reused and the rock wool recycled into new insulation material.
• The floor you are standing on is an organic vinyl floor. 100% PVC-free, made from recycled materials and without harmful additives.
• The windows all have triple glazing, so there is hardly any loss of room heat.
• The heating system is an air-heat pump, i.e. it consumes little energy (electricity) and produces no emissions, thus protecting the environment.
• A photovoltaic system was under consideration. However, we opted for the greatest possible flexibility here. The statics of the building are such that we can add two more storeys. And in this case, it wouldn't make sense to put such a system on the roof.

As a meeting place, the house offers the opportunity to leave one's familiar surroundings and develop new ideas.

Here, the cozy corner by the fireplace, there the small group of four, in the middle, more the open space with swings for creative interaction, as well as the high table and the writable walls. We can also break up the conventional seating and table arrangement and deliberately create a more relaxed atmosphere. And then there's the kitchen, where people can cook together and eat at a large table.

The white clouds under the ceiling are not just for visual effect, but are also acoustic sails that absorb sound so that we have a pleasant conversation atmosphere here.

This is where we are hosts and where we can best convey the atmosphere that characterizes BAAK: Welcome to our company!

And if no internal meetings are taking place, it can also be used for a change of workplace. It can also be used for job interviews, inviting speakers to give presentations, watching soccer matches together and much more.

And then there is a philosophy behind the house, which we would like to bring closer to you with a little story by the Armenian author Hovhannes Tumanyan:

A good and just king lived in the capital of his country. He often disguised himself and walked the streets undetected to find out how his people were faring. One evening, he went outside the city gates. He sees a glimmer of light coming from a hut. In the hut, a man is sitting alone at the table prepared for the meal and is just about to sing praises to God over the meal. When he has finished, the king knocks on the door: "May a guest come in?" "Gladly," says the man, "my meal is enough for both of us!" During the meal, the two talk about this and that. The king - unrecognized - asks: "What do you do for a living? What is your trade?" "I'm a cobbler," replied the man. "Every morning I go through the town with my craft kit and people bring me their shoes to mend on the street." The king then asked: "And what will happen tomorrow if you don't get any work?" "Tomorrow?" replied the cobbler, "Tomorrow? God be praised day after day!". When the cobbler went into the city the next day, he saw signs everywhere: "Order of the king! This week, all cobbling is forbidden on the streets of my town!" Strange, the cobbler thinks to himself. What strange ideas the kings have! Well, then I'll carry water today; people need water every day. By the evening, he had earned enough for both of them to eat. The king, back as a guest, says: "I was already worried about you when I read the king's attacks. How were you still able to earn money?" The cobbler talks about his idea of fetching water for anyone who could pay him for it. The king replied: "And what will happen tomorrow if you can't find work?" "Tomorrow? God be praised day after day!". When the cobbler goes into town the next day to carry water again, heralds come to meet him and shout: "The king's orders! Only those who have the king's permission may carry water!" Strange, the cobbler thinks to himself. What strange ideas the kings have! Well, I'll chop up some wood and take it to the houses. He fetched his axe, and by the evening he had earned enough to prepare a meal for both of them. And again the king asked: "And what will happen tomorrow if you can't find work?" "Tomorrow? God be praised day after day!". The next morning, a troop of soldiers came to meet the cobbler in the town. The captain said: "You have an axe. You have to stand guard in the king's palace courtyard today. Here you have a sword, leave your axe at home!" Now the cobbler had to stand guard all day and didn't earn a penny. In the evening, he went to his grocer and said: "I haven't been able to earn anything today. But I have a guest tonight. I'll give you the sword as a pledge, give me what I need for the meal." When he got home, he first went to his workshop and made a wooden sword that fitted exactly into his holster. The king was surprised that the meal had been prepared again that evening. The cobbler told him everything and mischievously showed the king the wooden sword. "And what will happen tomorrow when the captain inspects the swords?" "Tomorrow? God be praised day after day!" When the cobbler entered the palace courtyard the next morning, the captain came to meet him, holding a bound prisoner: "This is a murderer. You shall execute him!" "I can't do that," cried the cobbler in horror. "I can't kill a human being!" "Yes, you have to. It's an order from the king!" In the meantime, the palace courtyard had filled up with many curious people who wanted to see the execution of a murderer. The cobbler looked into the prisoner's eyes. Is this a murderer? Then he threw himself on his knees and in a loud voice, so that everyone could hear him praying, he called out: "God, King of heaven and earth. If this man is a murderer and I am to execute him, then make my sword of steel gleam in the sun! But if this man is not a murderer, then make my sword of wood!" All the people looked at him breathlessly. He drew the sword, held it up - and behold: it was made of wood. Huge cheers broke out. At that moment, the king came down from the steps of his palace, walked straight up to the cobbler, made himself known, embraced him and said: "From today on, you shall be my advisor!".

What does the cobbler stand for?

Creativity, confidence, optimism, never losing your cool, never losing sight of your goal.
This is exactly the atmosphere we want to create here - where everyday business can be left behind for a while, where there is room for creativity and new things can emerge.

That's why we also call our house "The House of the Mending Cobbler".