How to create a high-rise that connects two neighbourhoods?
Berlin
FORUM Berlin
© APPER, CC BY-SA 2.0 DE
The existing situation
The FORUM Berlin site is located at the junction of the Alexanderstrasse and the River Spree. It’s a special place in the city where, to the east, the Stralauer Vorstadt neighbourhood with its GDR-era blocks from the 1960s meets the classical buildings of Berlin Mitte.
The site forms a public meeting place in Berlin, where the urban dynamic is directly linked to the users of the future building. It’s a lively area with a mix of public functions, commerce and trade. It is also easily accessible, thanks to its proximity to the Jannowitzbrücke underground station.
As with all new developments on the River Spree, the design and height of the tower marks the beginning of the original city centre. At the same time, the building is a solitary object, being lower than the buildings around the Alexanderplatz.
Site drawing
View of the entrance from Dircksenstrasse
Continuing the urban fabric
Our FORUM Berlin design for the Central Berlin Tower competition is generous with the public space around it. The tower stands on a six-storey plinth, which refers to the old Berlin building block. This block contains public functions. The east and west sides of the building are literally connected by FORUM Arcadia, a passage from the Dircksenstrasse, where the main entrance is located, to the Alexanderstrasse. This multifunctional public space runs right through the building.
The eastern side of the Alexanderstrasse is thus connected to the park along the Spree. In the near future, a number of larger buildings with green public spaces will be built at the Alexanderstrasse intersection. With the new design, we connect the ground floor with this green area on the other side of the Bahnstrasse.
The ground floor is open and accessible on all sides and is designed as a public market hall. The openness and accessibility from the street make it an extension of the city. This public entrance to the building is a spectacular space 21 metres high, the same height as the blocks of Berlin Mitte. It will be open during the day and will link the green spaces of the Holzmarktstrasse with the banks of the Spree on the west side of the S-Bahn.
Public, green and pleasant
Public entrance area
On top of the plinth is a public roof garden, accessible to all. We create a pleasant climate here and in the public space by directing the wind through the large arched openings, which are repeated higher up the building. A smart section also provides protection from the sun in the summer and from the rain when it drizzles.
The planting creates an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity and frames certain views. The roof terrace offers panoramic views of the city and the Spree, as well as contact with street level.
Pleasant working in high-rise buildings
A sustainable and healthy working environment
The offices are located in the tower that stands on the plinth. The connection between the office tower and the plinth has an airy design. Inside, we have taken care to create a pleasant working environment in the high-rise building.
Workplaces are adaptable, column-free and can be divided into smaller or larger spaces. Thanks to an intelligent hybrid support structure in which every third floor is made of concrete while all the others are made of wood, the storeys can also be easily changed and connected in the future. This variation in the use of materials is also visible in the façade, which extends to all sides and becomes part of the surroundings. All the floors have breath-taking views of Alexanderplatz and the River Spree.
The roof of the tower is crowned by a private roof terrace. As the technical areas are located in the lower part of the building, the roof can be used exclusively as a collective green space for the tenants. In addition to the green gardens, the offices also have their own or shared green balconies overlooking the Spree. The façades have solar shading in the form of vertical louvres with integrated PV panels.
With wood as the main building material, appealing daylight and a balanced ventilation system, an indoor climate is created that provides a sustainable and healthy working environment.
View of the building from Alexanerstrasse
A building for a sustainable future
The intelligent façade ensures fewer installations, low energy consumption and a healthy indoor environment. In addition, most of the basement is optimally equipped for bicycles and light electric transport. By solving the problem of parking and deliveries in the building, we can also make the Dirksenstrasse car-free.
We have designed a tower that brings together the modern and the classic and connects two different worlds. We have reached the second round of the competition with this design, alongside the offices allmannwappner gmbh and ARROW Architects, and in collaboration with Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners (landscaping) and Alba Concepts (sustainability and circularity).
The first floor is open and accessible and designed as a public market hall.
Basement
First floor
Roof terrace
Tower
Crown
FORUM Berlin
Our design for the FORUM Berlin tower is generous to the surrounding public space. It is located at the junction of the Alexanderstrasse and the River Spree, where to the east the Stralauer Vorstadt area, with its GDR-era blocks from the 1960s, meets the classical buildings of Berlin Mitte.
The tower stands on a six-storey plinth with public functions. The east and west sides of the building are connected by the FORUM Arcadia, a multifunctional public space running straight through the building. On top of the plinth is a public roof garden. We create a pleasant climate there and in the public space by directing the wind through large arched openings that are also repeated higher in the building.
The connection between the office tower and the plinth has an airy design. Inside, we have paid attention to creating a pleasant working environment in the high-rise building. Thanks to a hybrid smart supporting structure in which every third floor is made of concrete while all the others are made of wood, the storeys can easily be changed and connected in the future. All the floors have breath-taking views of Alexanderplatz and the Spree.
We have designed a tower that brings together the modern and the classic, bridging two different worlds.
data
- Location
- Berlijn, DE
- Size
- Client
- HB Reavis
- Discipline
- Architecture
- Program
- Catering & Retail, mixed-use, Work
- Period
- 2023-2024
- Status
- Competition
- Partners
- Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners (landschap), Alba Concepts
