Lufthansa opens training center in Seeheim

Lufthansa’s new Training & Conference Center in Seeheim went into operation last month, underlining Lufthansa’s strong commitment to the Rhine-Main region and the company’s Frankfurt base.

Together with the deputy premier of the State of Hesse, Jörg-Uwe Hahn, Lufthansa CEO and Chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber opened the new conference hotel, which is one of the ten largest in Germany. Lufthansa has invested more than 100 million euros in the new building, which took almost two years to complete. The Training & Conference Center will be the central training location for Lufthansa staff from all over the world.

“For more than 35 years, Seeheim has been synonymous with training, dialogue and encounters within the Lufthansa Group. Its location in the picturesque Bergstrasse region, close to Frankfurt Airport and with excellent connections to the town of Seeheim-Jugenheim provide the ideal conditions for fulfilling this purpose,” Wolfgang Mayrhuber explained.

The new Training & Conference Center in Seeheim will be the central venue for training courses, seminars and conferences for Lufthansa’s 109,000 employees from more than 150 nations. From the outset, networking and maintaining a dialogue that transcends hierarchies and cultural borders was central to the new concept. “Seeheim remains the place where our corporate culture can be experienced and where Lufthanseats from all over the world can come together and discover Lufthansa’s roots,” Wolfgang Mayrhuber said.

Modern conference centre with more than 220 staff Since construction work began at the beginning in 2007, one of Germany’s most modern conference centres has emerged. The conference hotel, which covers a floor space of 9,120 square metres, has 483 rooms, conference rooms with a floor area of up to 600 square metres, lounges and large terraces and also offers a wide range of dining options.

The facilities can accommodate conferences of almost any size. Lufthansa also hires out the centre with its state-of-the-art infrastructure to external customers. About 200 staff are on site to provide service and ensure that everything runs smoothly. They include more than 20 apprentices who are training, for example, to become chefs or hotel management assistants.

Building with a low-energy concept
During the design of the Lufthansa Training & Conference Center, much emphasis was placed on sustainability, both in terms of the architecture of the building and on its mode of operation. Rain water storage tanks collect water to hydrate the gardens and lawns. Optimum insulation ensures that as much as possible of the precious heating energy generated is retained.

The highlight from an ecological point of view is the geothermal energy system, which is based on 64 probes sunk into the earth down to a depth of 99 metres. In winter, a heat pump absorbs heat and transfers it to the building’s heating system. Only 25 per cent of additional energy is needed in order to provide 100 per cent heat, which also has the positive effect of reducing CO2 emissions.

The Lufthansa Training & Conference Center in Seeheim was designed by architects Gallwitz, Hoffmann & Partner (GHP) from Oberursel and was built by the German construction company Bilfinger Berger. Key project partners came from the Rhine-Main region.