TCHOBAN VOSS Architekten proudly introduces EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin, a seven-story office complex consisting of two buildings constructed using sustainable, climate and resource-saving techniques, as well as modular hybrid-timber construction techniques. The larger of the two freestanding buildings contains over 200,000 square feet of floor space, making it the largest hybrid-timber building in Germany, and one of the largest in Europe. The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) certified the project as Germany’s most sustainable building in 2022.
The heart of the Carré building, the larger of the two new structures, is a spacious, light-filled atrium. A two-story entrance lobby with a clear height of seven meters facing the plaza in front of the building opens up the massive, strictly gridded volume, and directs the gaze firmly towards the building’s impressive interior. The 85-foot-high atrium is covered by a transparent ETFE foil roof carried by a wooden-truss construction. The continuous floor-to-ceiling windows in the offices, the glazed entrance area, and the large panoramic window in the building’s lounge additionally contribute to the abundance of daylight.
A central highlight is the four tree-like shapes of different heights which grow skywards under the foil roof as if in a greenhouse. Their lamellate spruce-wood structure gives them a resemblance to gigantic mushrooms. At ground level, green islands of tranquillity group themselves around their stems. The atrium is additionally enlivened by community and food areas. The crowns of the so-called ‘Trees’ carry platforms for recreation; these form green leisure and communication zones at various heights. These structures are linked by filigree steps with white railings, which, on the other side of the classical building core, lead via the platforms to the adjacent floors of offices.
In every part of the building – from the supports, beams, windows, and doors, to the claddings and railings – wood is visible in all interior areas. Each of the building’s inner corners contains a building core with a safety staircase and elevators.
The entire interior design concept, as well as the development of the new office worlds for Vattenfall, was developed and accompanied in the implementation by de Winder Architekten Berlin.
Photography by HG ESCH.
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