EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin: an office building of the future

29 March 2023 Sustainable construction

Berlin is home to Germany’s largest modular timber-hybrid construction project – and one of the largest in Europe. The new seven-storey office complex EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin sets new standards in sustainable construction. The decision to choose timber was integral to achieving the ambitious environmental and sustainability targets set by the client.

Comprised of two joined buildings – the Carrée office and the smaller Solitaire building – the complex has a total floor area of 32,000 m².

Approximately 3,350 m³ of PEFC-certified spruce was used for the supporting elements, ceiling beams, walls and windows.

The smaller of the two buildings (the ‘Solitaire’) is an elongated freestanding building that continues the line of the façade of the larger office building. The latter is a quadrangle-type structure (the ‘Carré) with an irregular trapezoidal footprint. The buildings were designed by Tchoban Voss Architekten working with CREE Buildings and structural engineering expertise from Buro Happold.

The wall elements were made regionally in Neuruppin, while the ceiling elements were produced in Lower Saxony. Altogether, there are 1,190 timber-hybrid ceiling elements carried by 1,280 glulam façade supports and 445 timber wall elements with a total area of 16,000 m².

In every part of the building – from the supports, beams, windows, and doors to the cladding and railings – timber is visible adding a natural, clear feel and bringing nature into the individual spaces.

The combination of timber and concrete in a hybrid approach saved up to 80% of CO₂ per m² of floor area.

Low construction weight, short shell construction times, high reliability in planning and costs, and durability are other advantages of this construction approach. Special emphasis was placed on using recyclable materials wherever possible.

“EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin is not just an ensemble of buildings. For me, the project is and remains a prototype of a new way of thinking,” said Sergei Tchoban from TCHOBAN VOSS Architekten. 

“In the construction of the buildings, the focus was on reducing the weight and thus the CO₂ footprint as much as possible while simultaneously combining the aesthetics of the building with an ethical approach to nature. The prefabrication of the building components and their possible repeated use ensure a sustainable building system that makes it possible to create impressive spaces and future-oriented working environments.”

EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin was shortlisted for the 2022 Best Use of Certified Timber Prize, supported by PEFC and awarded at the World Architecture Festival.

Photo credits: Ilya Ivanov