Located between the Johannisthal and Adlershof stops on the commuter rail network, the multi-hectare site of the former Schöneweide commuter train repair centre is currently being redeveloped to create a new district characterized by offices and manufacturing premises. The Square 1 building will be the first to take shape at the northern end of the designated redevelopment zone. Plans for other buildings are currently being drawn up, with the ground already being prepared for construction in some cases.
The Square 1 building consists of two sections connected by a shared basement, with approx. 22,309 m² of office space and 2,599 m² of storage space set to be created. As stops on the tram and commuter rail networks are available within the direct vicinity, the building does not feature either an underground car park or other indoor car parking spaces. Plans foresee a sufficient number of bicycle parking spaces.
The above-ground floors of the two sections of the four-storey building are connected by bridges that span the space between them. Each floor also features a loggia. Expansive, vegetated roof terraces are planned on the third floor of each building. Inner courtyards will be vegetated and terraced.
The frame of the building is of typical reinforced concrete construction and features façade columns and individual window units that punctuate the façade. The majority of interior areas are open-plan, with the relatively few enclosed rooms planned primarily intended for use as meeting and training rooms.
The building’s most important design feature is its curtain wall. The white sheet-metal panels with protruding lesenes that clad its façade lend the building an airy aesthetic and a sense of spatial-geometric order. The building will be used by a single tenant, who is relocating all their business operations from another site in North Berlin. The handover of their new premises is scheduled for April 2024.
