The 64-metre-tall high-rise office block at Stefan-Heym-Platz 1 sets new standards in technical, ecological, economic and functional terms. The DGNB has confirmed this and awarded the building owner, HOWOGE, the highest-possible distinction for sustainable construction: DGNB Platinum certification. This is only awarded to exceptionally resource-efficient and environmentally friendly buildings that meet a high socio-cultural standard. The high-rise has become the twelfth office and administration building in Berlin to receive this award to date.

Customer demand for “sustainability plus user convenience” identified and met

The 18-storey high-rise, which is home to HOWOGE’s company headquarters among other tenants, is part of the car-free “Quartier am Rathauspark” development at the junction of Frankfurter Allee and Möllendorffstrasse. In addition to office and commercial spaces, the development includes a nursery school and 387 apartments. “We incorporated the topic of sustainability into our plans for the development from the outset. The DGNB’s criteria provided a useful guide and were incorporated directly into the planning and construction process,” explained HOWOGE CEO Thomas Felgenhauer. “The platinum certification is the result of formidable teamwork. I would like to thank everyone involved in the project – especially our general contractor PORR, Baumschlager Eberle Architekten, pde Integrale Planung and, of course, our HOWOGE team.”

DGNB Platinum certification

The DGNB has developed a certification system based on central areas of sustainability, namely ecology, social aspects and economy, in order to make sustainable construction practicable, measurable and thereby comparable. “We are delighted that, in our role as general contractor, we were able to achieve Platinum status for the HOWOGE building in close collaboration with our affiliate, pde Integrale Planung, and Baumschlager Eberle Architekten Berlin. This certification is proof that we not only include sustainability requirements in our plans but also implement them in practice in construction projects,” said René Krüger, Senior Site Manager at PORR GmbH & Co. KGaA.

A comprehensive evaluation of sustainability

The office high-rise is of high ecological quality in terms of its environmental footprint throughout its entire lifecycle. This footprint includes the construction, operation, disposal and recycling of the entire building, as well as its energy concept. In addition, the use of construction materials of the highest quality was a priority during the project, with the formulation of every single product examined before use. The project utilised regional products and responsibly sourced materials such as wood and natural stone. In relation to social aspects, the building’s accessibility and the resulting social diversity in the use of its facilities proved decisive. Furthermore, the building’s floor plan is intentionally designed to offer a high degree of flexibility to accommodate future conversion and repurposing measures. The building has also been assessed as meeting the highest standards of cost-efficiency across its entire economic life cycle, with planning and construction processes implemented efficiently and comprehensively, in accordance with sustainability requirements.