jessenvollenweider

Description

The new building of the Office for Environment and Energy is a modern, energy-efficient and sustainable structure located in Basel’s inner city. A building figure was developed out of the dense urban situation to fit into the listed context. The eight-floor timber building is exemplary in terms of energy and structural engineering and can cover its own electricity needs thanks to a continuous photovoltaic façade made of monocrystalline cells and an optimised construction technology concept that reduces energy requirements. The timber and concrete structure has a good heat storage capacity, which aids night-time cooling in summer and has a positive effect on energy consumption and the indoor climate. In order to integrate the look of the all-round photovoltaic façade into the cityscape, a special glass was developed for this project that displays a three-dimensional, irregular vitality. Metallic colour dots integrated into the glass break up the dark base tone of the photovoltaic cells and superimpose it with warm tones. Depending on the position and incidence of light, the façade’s appearance changes during the day. The Minergie-A-ECO-certified office building offers a total of 74 contemporary workplaces, reception desks and a conference room. Access is provided via a central staircase core with a building-height airspace and an opaque lift shaft made of glass blocks.