New space for sustainability

The scope of climate protection is being extended – literally: the new extension of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) building, which is to be built in Berlin-Mitte, is an example of sustainable, reduced-resources construction – providing an archetype for the whole of Germany. M&P is among those involved in the realisation of the low-tech building: our experts are taking care of the building automation, commissioning management and technical monitoring. This combination is the most effective way to leverage M&P’s expertise in holistic real estate consulting. Our synergetic performance secures us pole position in the market.

The BMUV was founded in 1986 as the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. For more than 30 years, the ministry has been working to protect citizens from environmental toxins and radiation, to use raw materials sparingly, to protect the climate and to preserve flora and fauna.

Room for expansion: sustainability as a guiding principle

The fact that sustainability is the guiding principle of the BMUV’s work is also demonstrated by the new construction project at the Federal Ministry’s site in Berlin-Mitte.

The extension, which is designed as an office building with around 29,600 m² of usable space on the state-owned property, will also provide space for a canteen, a conference centre and a library that will act as a media and information centre. In addition to the areas for the BMUV, outdoor facilities and office space are also to be created for other federal ministries and the Berlin House of Representatives. The new office construction will be up to the standard of a nearly zero-energy building.

Robust, low-maintenance structural solutions with simple ease of use are being preferred to complex plant engineering designs. Another goal is to certify the new extension with the Gold quality level of the German Federal Assessment System for Sustainable Building (BNB). The aim for the planned outdoor facilities of the approximately 12,500 m² property is BNB Silver certification.

Sustainability aspects are also being included in the modern, adaptable office concept, which can react flexibly to organisational changes.

Tough challenge, top performance

The project at the BMUV site requires top performance from all those involved in the construction: attention must be paid during the construction project to the meeting calendars of the neighbouring Federal Council and the Berlin House of Representatives in order to avoid disturbances and construction noise as far as possible. Security and safety requirements in the government district also require coordinated construction planning. Those in charge are paying particular attention to a large power station that is located in the immediate vicinity of the planned construction site. The cooling plant adjacent to the property and the neighbouring 110 kV substation supply the entire surrounding area as well as key locations including Potsdamer Platz, Leipziger Platz and the Sony Center with district cooling and energy. That makes extreme care a necessity.

As part of the control services for structural engineering, Hitzler Ingenieure is responsible for the project management of the technical systems and is handling the tendering procedures. In that context, the experts at M&P are the ideal sparring partners for commissioning management, building automation and technical monitoring. With this combination of services, which is unrivalled on the market, the M&P engineers are providing top performance for this showcase project. Our systemic approach and the future-oriented problem-solving expertise of the M&P team – including a trades relationship matrix, interface catalogue and cross-trade quality assurance – meet the highest standards of convenience and efficiency.

Taking commissioning management as an example: when an order is placed, our team of experts can use BIM methodology to record all the necessary master data for the building / technical system and support the transfer of the building into the operating organisation. In addition, once the master data has been transferred to a 3D model, we can provide important assistance in the search for operators.