BMBF

The new headquarters of the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) is intended to take up existing urban, economic and ecological development potential. It can thus form the basis for a sustainable development of the entire neighbourhood. The new building is the first project of this size to be carried out by BIMA (Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben) in a PPP (public-private partnership) procedure. Werner Sobek accompanied the project from the beginning of the design and build negotiation process with comprehensive sustainability consulting.

Sustainability Consulting an Integral Part of the Planning Process

In this function, variant comparisons were carried out to optimise comfort and energy requirements, especially taking into account the entire life cycle. They show the effects of a measure in the ecological as well as in the economic and socio-cultural areas. This enables a qualified, holistically justified decision. The comparisons include passive measures with a focus on the facade as well as ecological comparisons of building component structures or energy generation. Thermal building and daylight simulations were used in the course of the optimisation.

In addition to architectural quality, the central concern of the client was exemplary sustainability and energy efficiency of the building. The BMBF’s energy supply is provided by an intelligent network of individual system components. These include a gas-powered fuel cell, a combined heat and power unit and photovoltaic systems on the roof and facade. The annual primary energy requirement is thus about 50 per cent below the specification of the current Energy Saving Ordinance. Due to its sustainability and energy efficiency, the building received the highest award level “Gold” according to the rating system “Sustainable Construction for Federal Buildings” (BNB).