More than 150 companies and research institutes with over 5,000 members of staff focused on energy, mobility and sustainability operate on the EUREF-Campus in Berlin-Schöneberg, where solutions for the energy transition are not only developed but also lived by example. The campus has been meeting the CO2 climate targets for the year 2045 since 2014 by means of a climate-neutral energy supply, an intelligent energy grid and energy-efficient buildings. 

The 23-24 building was built between 2018 and 2020 in the 5.5-hectare urban quarter and belongs to EUREF AG (Berlin). The architect and owner’s representative responsible for the building was EUREF Consulting (Berlin). Stuttgart’s WOLFF & MÜLLER Group was selected as the general contractor. The new build comprises a total area of around 18,000 square metres. GASAG AG, one of the leading energy suppliers in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, uses approximately two-thirds of this area as its new headquarters. The new addition to the EUREF-Campus primarily focuses on renewable energies and efficient technologies in its range of gas, electricity and heat supply services. 

Another pioneering aspect is the sustainable rear-ventilated rainscreen facade of the new GASAG AG headquarters. Johannes Tücks, Member of the Board at EUREF AG and Head Architect of the Berlin and Düsseldorf EUREF-Campus, states: “Sustainable architecture must be considered in the details along the entire supply chain in terms of creation, durability and demolition through to recycling! As architects, we rely on partners who develop and provide solutions that meet our needs”. 

These solutions also include fischer BWM fixing and substructure solutions that firmly anchor the futuristic aluminium cladding of the modern building envelope in the substrate. Various grey shades of Novelis FF2® pre-painted aluminium panels with a 2 mm thickness were applied to the total facade surface of 5,000 m² during the work period between 2019 and 2020. The material’s advantages include its versatile design options and functionality. The benefits of the FF2® panels comprise consistent colour and gloss, non-combustibility (A1), simple installation and economic efficiency. Their materials and colour effect are highly durable and the panels require minimal maintenance. W. Hartmann & Co. (GmbH & Co. KG) with head offices in Oststeinbek provided advice on suitable facade cladding as well as an aluminium system. “Sustainability and economic efficiency with an appealing design were of high importance to the architect and contractor”, says Roman Meinhardt, who is in charge of architecture consulting at W. Hartmann & Co. (GmbH & Co. KG). “We specialise in issues such as this with our facade cladding and are able to provide the corresponding information”. 

The fischer BWM aluminium supporting structures ATK 100 ZeLa were used as a vertical base substructure to anchor the aluminium panels. The system enables thermal insulation to the benefit of added energy efficiency and sustainability. The ZeLa bracket has been declared as a “certified passive house component” by the independent Passivhaus Institute certification body. This certificate contains all parameters (punctual thermal transmission coefficients) and documents the unique position of the supporting structure compared to conventional wall constructions available on the market. The horizontal cap profile 601 was attached to the ATK 100 ZeLa base substructure. Facade construction specialists then attached a vertical cap profile developed especially for this project as a third layer of the substructure. The vertical surfaces and pilaster strips made of aluminium were then able to be securely anchored to this custom construction. Rivets were used to fasten the facade panels. The aluminium panels were directly riveted onto the parapets. Next to the facade panels, flashings were installed along the ledges and were fastened with the 107 clip from the ATK 100 system.

“Our range of products and services fulfilled the project’s requirements. The special aspects of this job involved supplying a custom solution and several substructure profiles in variants with up to three layers to the customer’s construction site”, says fischer BWM Representative Michael Noack, who was in charge of the project. “In addition to the right products, our range of services with which we accompany our partners throughout various phases of construction contributed to our successful cooperation”. Jörg Granz, Project Manager of the facade construction specialist WF Bau GmbH (Magdeburg), adds: “fischer BWM supported us by providing advice and developing a custom solution as well as by designing a facade system tailored to the customer and project”. A very high degree of prefabricated facade systems by fischer BWM meanwhile enabled particularly fast installation of the facade cladding, according to Jörg Granz. The facade construction specialists at WF Bau GmbH (Magdeburg) attached the substructure and insulation from a scaffold. The cladding was fastened by the company’s own suspended scaffold.

The rear-ventilated rainscreen facade fits in with the overall sustainable concept of the new build. GASAG AG’s new company headquarters is designed as a KfW-55 efficiency house with a high energy standard, which means it has a primary energy requirement of just 55 % and transmission heat loss of just 70 % of the maximum values permitted according to Germany’s energy saving regulation. Contributing factors include triple glazing, thermal insulation, the use of smart meters (digital meters that measure power consumption) and locally generated, renewable energy. EUREF AG and its architects also placed a great deal of emphasis on sustainability by causing as few emissions as possible during the building’s operation and construction phase. The ground floor contains a showroom for visitors dedicated to the topic of energy transition. The two-storey underground parking garage contains 140 parking spaces in addition to 70 parking spaces and charging points for electric vehicles which local residents can use on evenings and weekends. Changing rooms and showers are provided for cyclists in an area connected to the garage. The roof areas and terraces will be covered in plants. 

From a visual and functional perspective, the facade of 23-24 EUREF-Campus fits in with the building's overall design concept where sustainability meets futuristic design.