Siemens Headquarters

When is a building environmentally friendly? When its operation consumes as few resources as possible, and when it is built from particularly environmentally compatible materials. The new Siemens company headquarters sets standards in both respects. Right from start of the planning stage, sustainability was a main consideration.

This is apparent in the steel, concrete and glass utilized in the building’s construction. Only materials whose production, transport and subsequent disposal consume as little energy as possible, were used. (…)

The construction shell, insulation and sun screening were designed to consume as little energy as possible. A large number of additional measures further reduce day-to-day energy consumption. For example, 70 kilometers of water pipes run through the building’s foundation plate which covers 8,500 square meters, an area larger than a soccer field. To ensure that the building temperature is comfortable all year round, up to 100,000 liters of water are pumped through these pipes via a high-efficiency ceiling heating and cooling system. In the so-called bivalent heating system, heat pumps double as cooling devices, while ambient air and ground water are integrated as regenerative energy sources.

All the façades facing the building’s inner courtyards are slightly tilted and completely covered by highly insulated triple glazing, which increases the amount of natural light that enters the interior spaces and reduces the need for artificial lighting. When necessary, indoor light is generated by 7,400 LED lamps which consume only about half as much electricity as conventional lighting sources. Rainwater is collected on the roof and used, among other things, to flush toilets and irrigate the grounds. About one-third of the new headquarters’ electricity is generated by a photovoltaic system located on the roof. Intelligent building control and automation systems cut electricity consumption even further.

The new headquarters consume 90 percent less electricity and 75 percent less water than its predecessor. And its primary energy requirement is 52 percent below the limit set by Germany’s current Energy Savings Ordinance (EnEV).

As a result, the new headquarters have received the highest certification possible – platinum – both nationally and internationally from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) and the U.S. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system.

Text reference: excerpt from Siemens press release, 14.06.2016
Photo credit: Siemens AG press release | KBP