«LEO» is made up of a main rectangular volume seven stories high, to which three other three-story rectangular volumes are added transversely. For this reason, there are 3 independent stairs to which 2 elevators per staircase are added. The façade of this building is produced by a gray-beige mottled brick factory, with columns between the bands of the windows that serve as embossed sheet metal cladding. But on the ground floor, closed parapets were installed to generate a minimum of privacy due to the lack of it thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
«ALEX» is constituted by a simpler volumetry consisting of a rectangular volume with seven floors from which three transversal blocks of the same height emerge to the west. However, the east façade is produced by red brick masonry, which is integrated with the neighboring historical buildings. The floors are divided by bands of horizontal windows whose continuity is rhythmically interrupted to provide the façade with visual variation.
The entrance to both buildings is comprised of a two-story height accentuated by a mullion-and-transom façade with canopies.
LEO & ALEX by Tchoban Voss Architekten. Photography by Klemens Renner.
Description of project by Tchoban Voss Architekten
The two new office buildings LEO & ALEX were built on two undeveloped plots on Bornitzstrasse in the Berlin district of Lichtenberg. The street as well as both buildings in the project are named after the doctor and author Leopold Bornitz and his brother, the parish priest Alexander Bornitz. Between the two volumes are the non-profit Lichtenberger Werkstaetten, which belong to the foundation rehabilitation centre Berlin- East. To the west, the "LEO" office building is bordered by the listed former workshop building of the Konsumgenossenschaft Berlin, built in 1926-27 by Otto Wettstein. To the rear is another listed building, the industrial buildings Josef-Orlopp-Strasse 32/54, and to the east of "ALEX" is the office building "The Wave", built in 1997.
The volume of the building "LEO" consists of three transverse, three-storey crossbars, which are connected longitudinally by a seven-storey building section. Three independent staircases connect the different levels and can be reached from the main entrance areas on the ground floor. Attached to each stairwell is a lift system with two lifts. The rental areas are designed to be flexible, allowing both a cellular office layout and an open-space variety. The "ALEX" building consists of a seven-storey block, from which three cross-blocks of the same height lead off to the west.
Green courtyards open up between the detached parts of the building. All roofs are planned as extensive green roofs. In the area of the staggered storeys, there are also roof terraces as elevated constructions, which, however, are not accessible without steps in relation to the utilization unit. In total, the two buildings have a gross floor area of approx. 50,000 sqm.
LEO & ALEX by Tchoban Voss Architekten. Photography by Klemens Renner.
LEO & ALEX by Tchoban Voss Architekten. Photography by Klemens Renner.
The exterior façade of building "LEO" is structured by a grey-beige mottled brick façade. The columns between the window bands were planned as a relief sheet metal cladding. On the ground floor, closed parapet elements were installed as privacy screens in front of the floor-to-ceiling window elements, as well as external sun protection. The striking façade of the "ALEX" building is made of red brick. Architecturally, it ties in with the historic neighboring buildings and is a reference to the industrial location of Lichtenberg in terms of cubature, colour and materiality. The storeys are divided by horizontal window bands, which are interrupted in places and thus give the façade a varied appearance. The two-storey entrance areas of the two buildings are accentuated by a mullion-and-transom façade with a canopy and provide access to the office buildings through one revolving door each, flanked by normal doors.
The two underground garages of "LEO & ALEX" provide a total of 291 underground parking spaces for cars, 10 to 50 of which can be used as e-mobility spaces. The lift cores connect the underground car park directly with the seven office floors. In addition, another 47 parking spaces are available in the outdoor facilities, which are also designed for electric mobility.
