Saved from demolition, reborn in timber
The new administration building of the German Alpine Club (DAV) showcases how construction can embrace contemporary sustainability. Using timber design, extra storeys have been added to a decommissioned 1970s building made of reinforced concrete. It is also equipped with a zero-energy ventilation system.
Parkstadt Schwabing to the north of Munich is a neighbourhood dominated by linear business premises and high-rise façades with an international feel. Sole justification of the name “Parkstadt” (Park Town) is a central grassy verge running through the district just as rationally. Indeed, the area has suffered from years of neglect, with a lack of revitalization. Until recently, Anni-Albers-Straße was home to a four-storey 1970s construction made of reinforced concrete which stood diagonally opposite the mirrored building Highlight Towers. Formerly the administration building of Langenscheidt publishers, it was empty for years and seemed to have little going for it aside from the location. But not long ago, this building underwent a radical exterior and interior transformation that rendered it unrecognizable.
Although the existing building was originally considered impossible to convert, it now houses the new headquarters of the German Alpine Club (DAV – Deutscher Alpenverein). Its status as a model green project sets it apart from the surrounding buildings.
A statement for climate protection
The DAV organizes mountaineering activities and runs Alpine huts at high altitudes, and it is also Germany’s biggest nature conservation association.
We gutted the old building and extended it using timber construction. And so the structure itself stores greenhouse gases.
Christian Taufenbach, architect
“As the owner and user, the DAV wanted to make a deliberate statement,” says Christian Taufenbach from Element A Architekten, who choreographed the complex conversion. “For this reason, the concrete skeleton needed to be preserved – and not demolished.”
However, the outdated administration building no longer fulfilled today’s standards of modern office architecture: the parapets were too high, the ceilings too low, the foundations too weak for an extra two storeys. And nowadays, offices are expected to combine many different working environments in a multi-space concept.
Redensification with timber
The fact that the architects were nevertheless able to create one of the most advanced and sustainable office buildings is not least due to the use of timber as the building material and the individual solutions that were found to solve the individual challenges. “We gutted the old building and extended it using timber construction,” explains Taufenbach. “We added an atrium at the front, a conference room at the side, and two storeys on top. And so the structure itself stores greenhouse gases.”
The transformed building combines the core structure of the existing building with the new timber construction to create a harmonious unit. Sanding the concrete surfaces created minimalist aesthetics that go well with the light-coloured timber extension.
A green outlook
On the east and west sides, a wooden framework envelopes the new, transparent outer shell and has several functions. On the one hand, it provides shade and reduces the amount of direct light in the building. In turn, this reduces the temperature in the offices during the summer months. And on the other, it offers space for plants and therefore creates greenery in an area that is otherwise less attractive.
For instance, pine trees and other native plants grow outside the windows of the DAV headquarters. Together with the many wooden surfaces, this conjures up a certain mountain hut appeal. And next to the rooftop cafeteria, the beehives with their characteristic countryside buzzing evoke a feeling of natural living.
Passive ventilation system with zero energy needs
The planners at Element A worked with climate engineers at Transsolar to develop a special climate concept based on passive ventilation.
The climate concept is a highly intelligent low-tech solution. It activates the substance, shuts out exterior noise and creates an outstanding indoor environment for working.
Christian Taufenbach, architect
Unlike the fully air-conditioned office buildings in the surrounding area, the system offers sustainable air conditioning with a cooling load that could be reduced to zero.
Special ventilation elements in the window ledges guide the outdoor air inside with a constant volume flow. “The climate concept is a highly intelligent low-tech solution,” explains Taufenbach. “It activates the substance, shuts out exterior noise and creates an outstanding indoor environment for working. At the same time, it manages to completely eliminate the originally calculated 520 KW of energy needs.”
From impossible to innovation
The new headquarters of the German Alpine Club deliver a sophisticated alternative design that counters the carbon-rich glass and steel strongholds otherwise found in Parkstadt Schwabing.
Consequently, this project shows that existing buildings are all too quickly labelled unadaptable and subsequently scrapped. With creative ideas and a good portion of goodwill, they can be transformed into contemporary office architecture.
For architect Christian Taufenbach who accompanied the project – which was initially labelled an “impossible conversion” – until the keys were handed to its owner, one thing is absolutely clear: “There are buildings like this everywhere. This conversion shows that demolition isn’t the only solution. You can also give these buildings a new life with outstanding quality.”
Text: Gertraud Gerst
Translation: Rosemary Bridger-Lippe
Photos: Pk. Odessa Co/Markus Lanz, Sebastian Schels, Element A Architekten
