Office Building Ritterstrasse 16
An office building for the digital zeitgeist, Industry 4.0, has been developed in trendy Berlin-Kreuzberg. The expressive façade is made from prefabricated concrete, giving the building an unmistakable, identity-creating address.
RitterstraBe runs through the historical section of the Kreuzberg neighborhood, between Moritzplatz and Kottbusser Tor, so to speak. Historically, this area of Berlin is known as the Rollkutscher-Viertel. Where there was an extremely dense perimeter block development crammed with factories and adjoining narrow, dimly lit backyards before the Second World War, today businesses are once again re-populating the area.
New development necessitated after the widespread destruction of the Second World War opened up the courtyards and since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the urban unity of the block has gradually been restored. The new Ritterstrasse 16 building is connected to three firewalls forming a new commercial unit which includes two courtyards. On a gross floor area (GFA) of 9,000 m2, the structure rises over six full storeys and features an underground car park for 12 cars and 68 bicycles, a contemporary office property and a so-called “multi-tenant building”. The digital zeitgeist is at work here, and the companies who call the building home are almost all representatives of the trendy Industry 4.0.
Modern building typology
Ritterstrasse 16 is a prime example of modern commercial building typology. The offices are accessed in a traditional way, via a large gateway that leads through the arched wing of the building into an expansive courtyard. From here, a lobby leads to an elevator, staircase and the office units, which are up to 400 m2 in size. Each unit has its own loggia or roof terrace. The façade sections, which are up to 40 m long, are segmented in terms of design and function and thus broken up. A precast concrete façade encloses the structural core like a net - in architectural terms, this is referred to as a “creative fabric”. The continuous lines of the bright white concrete struts embellish this fabric, which weaves around the entire building, including the courtyard entrance, underground garage entrance, loggias and roof terraces. Richter Musikowski has succeeded in reversing the traditional Kreuzberg courtyards and instead of narrow streets and dark buildings, the ambience is characterized by open, daylight-flooded areas and rooms.
Whether burros, loggias, terraces or courtyards, everywhere is bright, open and friendly. All façades, facing the street or courtyard, follow the same formula: delicate, dark bronzed aluminium windows comprise the first layer, forming a functional and colourful contrast to the robust and brighter surface directly in front of them. Together, the two layers form a deeply staggered façade with an imposing presence. The self-supporting, rectangular concrete frames and struts with a fine Carrara marble-like toning are made from a special concrete mixture with a hydrophobic coating. Each varies in length from 3.75 m to 6.25 m. One characteristic of this construction method is a diagonal support at 75 degree angle in each of the façade rectangles. With an almost playful lightness, these supports give the self-supporting concrete façade additional rigidity. The view shows three-, four- and five-window segments with corresponding precast concrete elements.
Light-looking solidity
Despite the consistency of the material and weight of the concrete, the building itself appears light. The solid 625 x 300 cm concrete frames and struts were all sandblasted at the factory, which appears to have an open porosity and grain on closer inspection. From a distance, the concrete parts achieve a velvety surface effect. Precise shadow gaps separate each concrete frame from one another, creating large joints in a well-proportioned façade. The result is not rigid looking solidity, but an almost dancer-like lightness. The subtle concrete accentuation combined with the effect achieved by sandblasting contributes significantly to the weightless appearance. Instead of being closed, the concrete façade grid appears open, transparent and inviting. In terms of construction, all concrete elements are self-supporting. Located in front of the actual building structure, they are pinned together with plug-in connections and fixed to the reinforced concrete skeleton structure with anchors.
The façade has more to give in terms of detailing. Its structural unity as a “creative fabric” is noteworthy despite the depth and colour contrast with the aluminium window front. Planned to work together as a whole, all functional needs, such as drainage, sun protection etc., are completely concealed. This results in clearly defined and well demarcated transitions from one material, or even functionality, to the next. The latter is also characterized by small subtleties. For example, all surfaces of the concrete façade where rainwater could collect are slightly sloped and where necessary, fitted with corresponding drip noses. Harmony arises from the overarching interplay of surfaces and materials, like exposed concrete interacting with the wooden flooring of the loggias and terraces, and the stainless steel mesh of the breast panels in combination with anodized sheet metal.
Prefabricated parts for the future
For the architects at Richter Musikowski, Ritterstrabe 16 is an absolute novelty with the use of precast concrete elements in the façade. Despite this, they succeeded quickly in creating a strong identity, distinctiveness and a recognizable form in relation to neighbouring buildings. A residential building from the seventies on the opposite side of the street easily sets the theme with its rough joint pattern of exposed aggregate concrete façade panels. Richter Musikowski took it in to account and developed a stunning contemporary equivalent.
