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Architects: J. Mayer H. Architects
- Area: 29500 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Laurian Ghinițoiu, Sterling Elmendorf, Ludger Paffrath
Text description provided by the architects. VoltAir is a pulsating urban building block for new office spaces at Alexanderplatz in the heart of Berlin. With its distinctive stacked cubes, the design emerged from an invited architecture competition in 2014 with mixed-use clusters for brands, sports, and hospitality. After a change in ownership, the sculptural design was adapted and revised in response to a change in use. In collaboration with the property owner and in constructive coordination with the Design Advisory Board led by Regula Lüscher, the qualities of the design were preserved and strengthened. The arrangement of glass cubes allowed for a playful interaction with the Berlin skyline.
The appearance of the building is defined by stacked, two-story glass cubes, executed as a ventilated double facade with bonded impact panes without mechanical fastenings. Approvals on a case-by-case basis, including pendulum swing tests, were required for the complex construction with the largest glass panes ever bonded in Germany.
The horizontal setback between the facade boxes at the level of the adjacent S-Bahn viaduct, already defined in the competition design, connects the building with the cityscape. It allows for green terraces and loggias on the facade. The entrances are clearly discernible within the building volume due to the relief composition of the glass cubes.
With room heights of 3 meters, building depths of up to 24 meters, exposed concrete, and technical installations, the interior of the building exudes a loft-like character and reflects communicative and social connectivity. The floor plans can be horizontally divided and vertically connected, allowing for flexible adaptation to user needs.
Thanks to its holistic design and visibility in the urban space at one of Berlin's most bustling locations, VoltAir has become the new home for innovative companies such as N26, Biontech, TomTom, and Seven Senders.
VoltAir embodies all the characteristics of a Green Building: Green roofs with rainwater management on-site improve the urban climate through evaporation (sponge city). The building is connected to district heating and equipped with an innovative system of bonded high-impact panes (passive heating/cooling system). Wind-protected sunshades in the facade interstitial space and LED lighting in the office spaces minimize heat gain. A pre-certification as a Green Building with LEED Gold Standard has been achieved. Additionally, a WiredScore certification is also being pursued, indicating a forward-looking technological infrastructure."
