Berlin/Bremen, 07 May 2019 - EDGE Technologies has awarded ZECH Building the major contract for the implementation of the EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin project. The contract for the turn-key construction of the building ensemble at Südkreuz station in Berlin has been signed. EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin will be built in a ground-breaking, sustainable modular wood-hybrid construction and will be used by the energy supplier Vattenfall as their new German headquarters.
The building ensemble consists of two structures, a solitary building and a square building built around a central atrium and comprises a total floor area of around 32,000 square meters (GF). The above-ground floors of both buildings will be constructed by Cree by ZECH using a modular wood-hybrid construction method. To achieve this, ZECH, Rhomberg and Cree Deutschland have come together to form a joint venture. The future-oriented and sustainable construction system meets the innovative and resource-saving requirements formulated by EDGE Technologies, ZECH Building and the planning team during the design phase.
Through the clever combination of the renewable raw material of wood with concrete, the CO2 emissions resulting from the construction of the shell are reduced by around 80 percent per square meter of usable area compared to conventional reinforced concrete construction. The construction method also promotes a long-lasting healthy indoor climate for the users. In addition, the building materials used are largely recyclable according to the cradle-to-cradle principle. Accordingly, the ensemble has already been pre-certified with DGNB Platinum. Certification for WELL Core Gold is in the pipeline.
Each of the two buildings has seven floors above ground. The ground floors offer space for communal areas and public use. The upper floors one to six are intended for office use. The atrium of the square is characterised by four tree-like stair constructions.
"With its modular wood-hybrid construction, EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin fully complies with our corporate philosophy: using smart technologies to create intelligent and sustainable buildings that provide a healthy working environment by improving the CO2 balance and biophilic design. In addition, wood-hybrid buildings are particularly environmentally friendly over their entire life cycle," says Martin Rodeck, CEO of EDGE Technologies in Germany.
Olaf Demuth, Managing Director of ZECH Building GmbH and Zech Group GmbH, also supports this view: "We are very pleased and proud that we are able to realise the EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin project for EDGE Technologies. In particular with the pioneering systemic Cree by ZECH wood-hybrid modular construction method, which saves resources without the disadvantages of conventional concrete construction and is particularly sustainable from production throughout the entire life-cycle of the building".
The modular wood-hybrid system developed by the Austrian start-up company Cree significantly reduces the amount of concrete, resulting in only one fifth of the usual CO2 emissions. With this system, even 30-storey high-rise buildings with a height of up to 100 meters can be realised effortlessly. Wood and concrete share the loads. Although wood-hybrid buildings are currently still somewhat more expensive than conventional concrete buildings, the modular construction method shortens the construction time on site.