Federal Environment Agency: UBA 2019, Berlin-Marienfelde House 2019 (zero-energy house)

The Federal Environment Agency in Berlin-Marienfelde was supplemented by a new zero-energy building in timber construction. The aim of the planning of the outdoor facilities was to integrate the new building into the overall property as a "campus" by means of identity-creating open spaces and to increase the quality of stay for the users. Targeted measures in the areas adjacent to the existing buildings and the access road were intended to improve the urbanistic conciseness of the property and facilitate orientation. At the same time, the natural landscape situation was improved in line with the sustainable building concept "UBA 2019" and the unavoidable interventions in nature and the landscape were compensated for.



The open spaces are divided into a green forecourt in direct relation to the experimental pools, a covered open space directly next to the building and near-natural green spaces in the wider vicinity of the new building. The new building was given an extensive green roof, which was combined with photovoltaic elements. Several pergolas planted with greenery on the roof and façade create covered spaces for bicycles, disabled parking spaces, company vehicles and a garbage area.



The design of the outdoor facilities was based on the urban planning concept of orienting the new building towards the existing, slightly higher experimental pools. These test basins were conceived as "water gardens", with two new "plant basins" in front of them in the area of a small forecourt. These "planting basins" are bordered by a strip of concrete slabs.



Seating groups and seating elements are provided in the area of the canopy. From here, the experimental pools can be reached via a connecting path with central steps. On both sides of the stairs are grass steps with selective seating, which, together with the aforementioned seating elements under the canopy, form seating groups for scientific exchange in the open air.



Directly adjacent to the experimental pools, an existing pipe channel is greened with a shallow extensive green roof, while the south-eastern section is greened with rough grass with an earth connection. The forecourt around the "planting basins" is designed as a water-bound surface, while the entrance area and the transition to the new laboratory building are designed as a square with concrete slabs.



The building will have an extensive green roof made of various types of sedum. The substructure of the solar system is integrated into the drainage layer of the green roof. Half of the roof water pre-cleaned and reduced by the green roof is directed into 2 soakaways in the forecourt.



The open spaces directly surrounding the building were designed as species-rich dry grassland areas for ecological reasons. The existing near-natural hedge border was supplemented at the property boundary. Tree planting enhances the areas along the access path and in the forecourt area.



The new building's disabled parking spaces are located directly opposite the forecourt in the area of the current bicycle pergola. The new covered bicycle parking spaces are located on the southern edge of the fire department parking area of the new laboratory building. Open bicycle parking spaces are located on the forecourt in a gravel lawn area.



Covered parking spaces for the UBA's service vehicles are located in the northern area of the depot on current open parking spaces. The waste disposal site is located next to it.



The project took part in the test phase of the "Assessment system for sustainably planned outdoor facilities on federal properties" and received a "silver" rating (assessment: Jennifer Zelt, TU Berlin).




Publication: Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (ed.): Jahrbuch Bau und Raum 2010/2011, Böttcher, O., Fudickar, K., Kerz, N.: Nullenergiehaus für das Umweltbundesamt, p. 188 - 195, Berlin 2012