E3 Berlin

Aus Schaden wird man klug, Oliver Goldsmith

I have surely skipped certain details about my trip to Berlin. After Biel, Berlin is another city that got my deep admiration. Somehow, I felt good there, I was there just to learn the language but I have found great environment.  It is indeed a world city that blends creativity, technology and culture. Going from Alexander Platz, to Charlottenburg palace or just take a walk around Along the river Spree.  The architecture and urbanism are made so that history of the country is not denied. The diversity of culture, specially among the young people shows a great change and predicts a bright future for the country and maybe a reference for the rest of the European countries.

I have enjoyed the city days and nights, and one day a friend of mine to whom I always talked about timber constructions took me to Esmarchstraße 3, Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, there I came across a white building that despite fitting in its small assigned space, still shines brighter than its surrounding. As if It was talking, saying things like: my nature is mine to define, my footprint on your memory is also mine to dictate and I won’t be denied the expression of myself.

Image credit drgollwitzer-ing.de

Of course, at first, I couldn’t identify it as a timber building but him living in Berlin for a quite had the opportunity to see the upbringing of the timber structure.  I later found out that it is owned by e3 Bau GBR and projected by Kaden & Klingbeil Architekten Berlin.

Between two concrete buildings, there was a gap, one that has been there since world war 2. An historical gap that has be filled.

In red E3 building; Credit image Baunetwissen.de

Which construction materials could fill such a void? Closing the gap of the past without being of a nuisance to the future? The main idea was to give sustainability a chance. Timber construction was then the answer. But at that time the German new regulations restricted the timber construction to only five floors. The surrounding building were already above five floors so a new construction couldn’t be less. Choosing timber meant challenges, but standing up to challenges, is what made the courageous one’s pioneers.

Taking up this challenge gave birth to a seven storeys timber building with six apartments and a commercial unit: A design that allows every owner to design the internal distribution as he pleases thanks to the absence of internal load bearing -elements.

The load bearing structure from the first floor is made of a combination of CLT panels and timber skeleton (glulam laminated timber columns and beams). The floor system is a timber-concrete composite slab which allows a longer span, uplifts the acoustics performance and eliminates any possible vibration issues.  The ground floor, as most of the high rising timber structure is fully in concrete.

Test of the timber-concrete slab, and realization on site, credit images Kaden & Klingbeil Architekten/d-nb.info

The connections between beams and columns were assured through steel plates with forms depend on the connections needed.

Credit images drgollwitzer-ing.de/baunetzwissen.de/d-nb.info

Credit images drgollwitzer-ing.de/baunetzwissen.de

 

Details connections bracings, Credit images drgollwitzer-ing.de/baunetzwissen.de

Details connections Slab timber skeleton, credit images db-bauzeitung.de

    Balconies were realized on the other side of the building. The floor system of those balconies was thought in steel HEA beams connected at floor level to the load bearing skeleton. The all system was then suspended through a steel profile anchored to steel HEM steel beams fixed on the roof.

Suspended steel balconies; credit images d-nb.info karmatrendz.wordpress.com

Fire protection was the main issue in this project. Since the building was out of the regulation domain, the fire safety had to be demonstrated with a special fire protection concept. A research from the TU Braunschweig, revealed the possible dangers in Multi-storey timber building, which Dehne, Kruse and Partner, the fire planners has to requite:

• Additional entry of fire loads through the wooden support structure,
• Participation in flue gas development and pyrolysis products;
• Risk of post inflammation;
• Formation of embers within the components;
• Fire within the construction (due to short circuit or similar);
• Fire initiation and fire propagation via installation;
• Smoke transmission through connections;
• Fire resistance of R60 for this particular building;

Dehne, Kruse and Partner responded with:

• Encapsulation of all flammable components with gypsum fiber boards;
• External wall from outside to inside: 8 mm plaster + 100 mm of mineral wool + 12,5 mm of Fermacell +  160 mm CLT panel + 2 layers of Fermacell each of 18 mm ;
• Oversizing of the wooden components to reach fire resistance of R90;
• Creations of fire compartments;
• Floor of 16 cm thick of glulam plus 10 cm thick of concrete, the visible layer of wood protected with fire protection coating reaching a fire reaction of B1;

       Visible glulam floor thanks to the fire coating; Credit image Divisare.com

• Distancing  the main building at 3.10 m from a reinforced concrete stairwell with an escape route from the farthest door less than 20m;
• Fire alarm system with smoke detectors according to DIN 14675

Reinforced concrete staircase; Credit images Divisare.com

    As usual the construction site was quite clean and eased with the use of crane and scaffolding as illustrated in the pictures below.

Construction site illustration; Credit images Divisare.com

Summary

Building name: E3

Architect: Kaden + Klingbeil Architekten, Berlin

Structural design: Bois Consult Natterer and Tobias Linse;

Fire safety planner: Dehne, Kruse Brandschutzingenieure;

Year of completion: 2008;

Gros Surface:  circa 970 m2;

Completion of the substructure: 8 weeks;

Construction time: 10 months;

M3 of timber:  circa 388 m³;

Timber per square meter: circa 0.40 m³/m²;

Investment cost: 1628000€;

Energy requirement: <40= kwh/m²

Selling price: 2400€/m²

Awards:

•  2009: German Holzpreis award;
• 2012: Architecture of Necessity;
•  2009: Effizienzhaus-Preis, Preisträger der Region Ost und Bundessieger 

The English version of the quote above is " Adversity is the mother of wisdom."

 Well, pioneers are not born but made by the choices they have made despite the adversities. Out of the adversities Kaden & Klingbeil and partners made the best out of it and set the path for the new environment of timber construction and making themselves Pioneers.