Unionhilfswerk

Berlin, Germany

Photo © Ulrich Schwarz

Office Buildings

Architects: Baumschlager Eberle Architekten

Location: Schwiebusser Straße 18, 10965 Berlin, Germany
Year: 2021

Elegant and sustainable – The new administrative building of the Unionhilfswerk was to make an unpretentious but powerful contribution to the urban structure - with a special focus on sustainability: the building was to blend into its surroundings, offer a high quality of stay, use resources sparingly and age gracefully. The implementation: The new building impresses with its simple elegance and the clear order and rhythm of the openings. The perforated façade is characterised by upright window formats, four-sided circumferential flanges and deep reveals. With its simple and compact volume, the building creates calm in a heterogeneous environment. The features: An atrium connecting all levels with floor-by-floor staggered openings forms the building's centre. The positioning of the building created two small outdoor spaces: as an extended outdoor zone for the conference area and as a communal garden between the nursing home and the administration building.

The aim of the energy concept is not to exceed a total primary energy requirement per square metre of usable floor space of 100 kWh per year, while ensuring the greatest possible comfort and the best possible room conditions. Thanks to its compact form and monolithic masonry façade, the building is very energy-efficient.