High-quality TECE products at the EUREF-CAMPUS in Berlin
It is an eye-catcher that is somewhat reminiscent of the famous Flatiron Building in New York: however, the new EUREF Campus 1-2 building is not located in the US metropolis, but in a striking location in Berlin. The "Red Island", a former working-class neighbourhood in the Schöneberg district, led a quiet existence for many years. This has been changing for almost 20 years: the new Südkreuz station, the city's third largest regional and long-distance railway station, opened in 2006, a year later the EUREF Campus was founded on a 5.5-hectare site on its western flank, and a new urban quarter is currently being built to the south of it, the "Schöneberger Linse". At the centre of it all: a slender new office and administration building with a gross floor area of 9600 m2. Inside, the demand for design and accessibility is expressed in the bathrooms with the TECEprofil toilet module and the TECEprofil geronto module, while the TECE flush plates TECEnow and the electronic TECEplanus fulfil the aesthetic and practical note.
Photo: Leo Seidel | NBB Netzgesellschaft Berlin-Brandenburg mbH & Co. KG
The new office and administration building is classified as a "green building", which are constructed under the guiding principle of "sustainability". Particular attention is paid to resource efficiency in the areas of energy, water and materials.
Focus on the energy transition
EUREF AG began its work in 2008. EUREF stands for European Energy Forum, which summarises the activities on the campus: various companies involved in the energy and mobility transition are based here. The gradual filling of the site with new buildings amidst the remnants of historic brick buildings is an attractive feature. Two relatively new tenants fit in perfectly on the campus: GASAG and its subsidiary NBB Netzgesellschaft Berlin-Brandenburg. The latter moved into the sleek new building in summer 2021 together with the German Energy Agency (dena). The client is EUREF AG, while the affiliated EUREF-Consulting was responsible for the architecture.
Striking accent with eleven storeys
The 35 metre high building with eleven storeys forms a striking prelude at the narrow southern tip of the site. "An important urban accent, as the entire site is quite inconspicuously embedded in the urban fabric due to the surrounding railway lines," says Johannes Tücks, one of the managing directors of EUREF-Consulting, describing the effect. With its rounded corners, the building meanders precisely into the plot, giving the façades an elegant curve. The ribbon windows follow this movement. They are framed in silver, and the parapet is also finished with a light-coloured strip. This contrasts with the anthracite-coloured plastered surfaces. This interplay gives the office tower a graphic appearance. The ground floor accommodates different uses. The conically tapered part of the building contains extensive archive areas, against which the entrance hall is quite modestly proportioned. A bakery with a café has moved into the widened part of the building. The standard floors offer office space with different layouts, from open-plan to individual offices, as well as meeting and ancillary rooms such as kitchenettes and sanitary facilities.
Photo: Leo Seidel | NBB Netzgesellschaft Berlin-Brandenburg mbH & Co. KG
Freedom of design and accessibility and an aesthetic touch in the interior
While the exterior adapts to the shape of the property, those responsible for the interior favoured the principle of design freedom. When fitting out the sanitary rooms, they therefore decided to install the TECEprofil pre-wall system, which enables flexible room design with a supporting structure and a wide selection of matching sanitary modules. The elegantly understated flush plates from the TECEnow range in matt chrome are technically matched to the module. However, accessibility was also important to the building owners, and the TECEprofil geronto module pays tribute to this. It was specially designed to meet the needs of physically impaired people. Statics, raised ceramic fixings and the inclusion of folding support handles enable a standard-compliant, barrier-free toilet area. With pre-assembled conduits for the cabling, the Geronto module also makes it easier to install the flush release on the folding support handle. The matching TECEplanus completes the simple flush release, which functions electronically and contact-free.
CO2 targets for 2045 already met
At the EUREF Campus, it is not only the tenants who are committed to sustainability; the in-house team of architects and engineers is also developing the corresponding architecture. The new NBB headquarters is a KfW55 efficiency house, which almost halves the requirements of the German Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV). State-of-the-art building technology, triple glazing with integrated solar shading and the use of locally generated renewable energy help to achieve this. The EUREF-Campus thus continues to defend its proud reputation: since 2014, it has already fulfilled the C02 guidelines set by the German government for 2045.
