Provinzial Insurance Gerhardt & Wiegand

A different kind of office

From the outside, the Gerhardt & Wiegand insurance office in Hattingen (Germany) may appear quite ordinary, but visitors quickly realise upon entering that great design and intelligent solutions are highly valued here. Instead of a stuffy office atmosphere, customers are greeted by an industrial look, a lounge ambience, and smart control powered by Homematic IP.

The property:

Office building
Floors: 1
Number of rooms: 6

Application areas:

Climate control
Lighting
Security & alarm
Access

Components:

1 Central Control Unit
1 Wired Access Point
25 devices

From the outset, branch managers Michael Gerhardt and Oliver Wiegand were clear that their insurance office in Hattingen would not be a typical, uninspiring office block. They wanted a relaxed and inviting atmosphere – a place where people would want to linger. To complement this, they incorporated practical, modern solutions such as digital whiteboards for customer consultations and a comprehensive smart home system to control lighting, heating, and access.

After initially considering various smart home systems, Michael and Oliver followed the recommendation of their installer and chose Homematic IP. It proved to be the right decision. Today, they would wholeheartedly recommend Homematic IP.

The installation company Elektro Röll from Hattingen installed a total of 25 Homematic IP devices and two central control units. Additionally, Philips Hue lighting was integrated into the system via the ioBroker from Mediola. This enabled the insurance experts’ primary wish to be realised: a centralised and largely automated lighting control system with as few visible switches as possible. Instead of traditional light switches or wall-mounted buttons, Homematic IP remote controls are used, allowing the lighting to be flexibly adjusted from anywhere as needed. Strategically placed presence sensors ensure that manual adjustment is rarely necessary. Instead, the smart office independently detects where people are located and provides lighting accordingly.

“With Homematic IP, we have found the ideal system for our needs. We can confidently recommend it without hesitation.”
- Michael Gerhardt and Oliver Wiegand, Provinzial Insurance -

Automation is also at work at the office’s main entrance, where a smart door lock drive monitors access. This allows the door to be opened remotely for customers. Different access permissions can also be set for employees and cleaning staff, enabling them to enter and exit independently at designated times. Homematic IP smart smoke alarms provide an extra of security. These interconnected devices sound the alarm collectively and can even interact with the lighting system to illuminate escape routes in the event of a fire.