FORUM: A tower that fits and connects Berlin
Our design for the Central Berlin Tower is generous to the surrounding public space. It is located at the junction of Alexanderstrasse with the Spree; an extraordinary location in the city, where on the east the Stralauer Vorstadt, with its block structures from the 1960s GDR era, meets the classic block buildings of Berlin Mitte.
The tower stands on a six-storey base with public functions that refers to the old Berlin building block. East and west of the building are literally connected through Forum Arcadia; a public multifunctional space that goes straight across the building. On top of this base is a public roof garden, accessible to everyone. The climate is pleasant here and in the public space since the wind is directed through the large arched openings, which also appear higher up in the building.
The base has a lightly designed connection to the office tower. Inside the offices, we paid attention to creating a pleasant and healthy working environment in high-rise. The offices have wooden ceilings and balconies with plenty of greenery, as well as views of the Spree. Sunshades in the form of vertical fins with integrated PV panels are installed on the facades. Moreover, only every third floor is in concrete and the others are in wood. This can also be seen from the facade, which faces all sides and becomes part of its surroundings.
We designed a tower that brings together modern and classic, connecting different worlds. We congratulate the winning team and look forward to realising our ideas in other projects.
In collaboration with Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners (landscape) and Alba Concepts (sustainability and circularity).