Berlin, Germany
Designed by 3XN and Maedebach & Redeleit Architekten, the Cube Berlin is the office of the future, promoting life and activity within the city, providing a true workplace of the future for its tenants by embodying sustainability, flexibility, and opportunities for knowledge sharing.
It is the first office built specificaly to support 21st Century workplace trends with multi-tenant occupancy, cross-organizational communication, activity-based workstations, shared facilities, and dynamic office layouts.
Cube Berlin project has been awarded a 2021 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The building is also one of the smartest of its kind, integrating ‘Internet of Things’ ideals into all aspects of the design.
A digital ‘brain’ allows for optimization of everything from access and indoor climate control to maintenance and energy supply – all controlled by a centralized app.
Cube berlin occupies a highly prominent location on Washington Platz, with a vast public square fronting Berlin Central Station across the River Spree.
The master plan for Washington Platz defined the building to be a perfect cubic body measuring 3 x 42.5 meters with five equally important facades, including the roof.
This centerpiece needed to achieve a sculptural quality on its own while not outshining Berlin Central Station. Hence the design envisions a relief-patterned, reflective facade with a kaleidoscopic reading of the surroundings.
The smart building concept is taken to the next level by implementing an intelligent exchange — a self-learning “brain” — to coordinate all the individual systems, including access control, lift operation, climate and light control, and booking systems.
Communication between building and user happens via some 3,800 sensors that monitor the use of spaces and adjust to user preferences.
Via an app, users and visitors can interact with the building.
The app helps connect people, making their working day more efficient, and driving more sustainable behavior by making users more aware of their habits.
In addition to opening doors and calling lifts, users can identify the optimal workspace at any given time based on their unique preferences, location of co-workers, and energy efficiency.
The building offers varying reflective views and takes on a dynamic appearance due to the considered use of facade elements.
All sides of the building have their distinct appearance.
Though it looks complex, the layered facade is made from only 12 different glass elements, distributed in different combinations across the building.
The layering of the two facades creates several generous platforms on the facade.
These platforms are horizontally and vertically distributed around the building so that the facade changes dynamically and all views of the building are unique.
Cube berlin is designed to be a social experience and to meet future demands for more dynamic workplaces.
Thanks to greatly enhanced flexibility in plans, the building is geared to accommodate temporary project structures, shifting tenants, new collaboration patterns, knowledge sharing, and external networking.
The overall compact building massing and effective facade to floor area ratio allow for a 100% glazed facade.
The ventilated double-skin facade offers high performance, allowing users to benefit from natural ventilation and daylight while providing effective protection against heat gains.
The balance of ecological, social, and economic performance meets the criteria for certification “Gold” according to the German Society for Sustainable Building (DGNB).
As a privately-owned office building at the center of Washington Platz, it was important to both the city and design team that cube berlin performs more than as an architectural statement.
The sculpted body is designed with the desire to actively engage with the surroundings and act as a catalyst for bringing life to the square.
On the ground floor, there are semi-public spaces with exhibition areas, an auditorium, and a food market.
During the summer season, the facade can be opened to allow the public amenities to spill out at the square and make cube berlin’s interior interact with the surroundings.
The vision of ‘inhabiting the sculpture’ continues at the vast roof terrace is open for social events, celebrations, breaks, and as an informal workspace.
Project: cube berlin
Architects: 3XN A/S
Architect Souterrain: Maedebach & Redeleit Architekten
Client: CA Immo Deutschland
General Contractor: omniCon, Berlin
Structural Engineers: Remmel + Sattler Ingenieurgesellschaft
Photographer: Adam Mørk
