The new building in Berlin's government district is easily recognizable as a building by architects Sauerbruch Hutton. The façade reveals its creators: the trademark of all the firm's buildings are the vertical colored elements - different each time and new every time. This is an H-shaped, seven-storey extension for the German Bundestag in Luisenstrasse - or to be more precise, it is located on Adele-Schreiber-Krieger-Strasse in the southwest and directly on the railroad tracks in the northeast. Given the already cramped development along the "Band des Bundes", it is surprising that space could still be found for a building with 400 offices. The front part of the H with its conference rooms is semi-public, while the smaller rear part is reserved for offices and is closed off from the tracks by a glass soundproof wall. If required, the offices can be combined into two-person units.

As the building had to be ready as an interim building for the 2021 parliamentary elections and there was little time available, the architects opted for a modular timber construction. The individual components were delivered ready-made. They were already fitted with window elements, a timber frame with thermal insulation and an integrated sun protection system as well as a substructure for the façade cladding made of colored glass at the factory. The timber modules can be quickly assembled and dismantled and can be reused elsewhere. Each of the modules measures 3.20 by 6.75 meters. They are arranged along a central corridor in each of the four wings of the building and consist almost entirely of sustainably produced solid wood elements. They were manufactured in Berlin, which meant short transportation routes and low emissions. The floor slab, technical rooms and the central atrium were constructed from prefabricated reinforced concrete elements.

The competition for another building, the "Luisenblock Ost", has just been decided. It should be completed by 2027. With all this construction activity, it is surprising that after such a short time since the government buildings were erected - between 1995 and 2000 - there is already such an enormous need for more space. In 2020, the decision was made to build the "Luisenblock Ost". What is certain is that construction activities at that time were not yet as explicitly guided by the dictum of sustainability as they are today and as is the case with this property by Sauerbruch Hutton.

www.sauerbruchhutton.de

Photos: 

Jan Bitter
www.janbitter.de

(Published in CUBE Berlin 02|24)