OMA completes 'open and transparent' axel springer building in berlin

exactly four years after the start of construction, the new axel springer building in berlin has been officially opened. designed by OMA, the cube-shaped structure is the latest addition to the publishing company’s campus in the german capital. the building offers 52,000 square meters (559,723 sqf) of work space for more than 3,000 employees and is characterized by its open and transparent architecture. internally, the project is defined by a 45-meter (148 ft) high, light-filled atrium that divides the building into sections. in the valley between, ten terraced stories and 13 bridges seek to provide inspiration for ‘physical encounters in the digital age’.

all images by laurian ghinitoiu, courtesy of OMA

‘paradoxically, the current pandemic and concurrent digital acceleration, demonstrate the need for spaces conceived for human beings to interact,’ says rem koolhaas, architect and founder of OMA. ‘in the typical office building, a visitor enters, and then disappears. it is far from clear what happens inside. in the new axel springer building, people and their interaction, are the essence. the springer building is a tool for the further development of a company in perpetual motion. it offers its users a physical base — a wide variety of spatial conditions, intimate to monumental — in contrast to the flatness of working in virtual space.’

the building is situated opposite the existing axel springer headquarters on zimmerstrasse, a street which previously separated east and west berlin. eventually the public will be able to experience the building on three levels: the ground floor lobby, the roof-top bar, and the ‘meeting bridge’ — a viewing platform from which the visitors can witness the daily functioning of the company and how it evolves. the ground floor contains studios, event and exhibition spaces, canteens, and restaurants.

‘we wanted the new building to be a symbol and an accelerator of our own transformation,’ says mathias döpfner, CEO of axel springer SE. ‘long before the coronavirus, the mission was to find a new answer to the question of why office space is still needed at all in the digital age. rem koolhaas has provided a spectacular reply. open, multifunction spaces that enable maximum flexibility of use. avant-garde architecture as a magnet for encounters and communication. the building as a powerhouse of creativity.’

the new occupants have now almost all moved in and the first units have been working there since early 2020. in spite of restrictions due to the pandemic, the building was completed on time and on budget. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

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project info:

name: axel springer campus, berlin, germany
location: berlin, germany
client: axel springer SE
status: completed
program: total: 57 828 sqm (above ground); 14 731 sqm (below ground): offices: 43,534 sqm, public areas (lobbies, restaurants, event spaces and meeting facilities): 8,200 sqm, technical areas: 6,686 sqm; parking: 11,300 sqm

architect: OMA
partners in charge: rem koolhaas, chris van duijn
associate in charge: katrin betschinger
team: philippe braun, antonio barone, paolo caracini,alain fouraux, gary owen, maria aller rey, wael sleiman
valentin bansac, matthieu boustany, saida bruckner, felix buttner, emile estourgie, michalis hadjistyllis, phelan heinsohn, cindy hwang, mattia inselvini, athanasios ikonomou, hanna jankowska, minkoo kang, alexander klufers, tijmen klone, marina kouvani, maximilian kurten, hans larsson, wai yiu man, cristina martin de juan, julian meisen, martin murrenhoff, betty ng, edward nicholson, vitor manuel dos santos oliveira, ebrahim olia jerome picard, danny rigter, joanna rozbroj, stefanos roimpas, jad semaan, lukasz skalec, sandra sinka thomas shadbolt, magdalena stanescu, mike yin, marcus parviainen, slavis poczebutas, alexandru vilcu, frederike werner, mateusz wojcieszek

collaborators —
project management: SMV bauprojektsteuerung ingenieurgesellschaft mbH
cost management: emproc GmbH
MEP: ZWP ingenieur-AG
façade: emmer pfenninger partner AG
landscape: inside outside
structure: arup london
elevators: lerch & bates
energy/comfort: transsolar energietechnik GmbH
building physics: knp.bauphysik GmbH
acoustics: kahle acoustics
geotechnical: GuD geotechnik und dynamik consult GmbH
lighting: les éclaireurs
orientation system: büro uebele
curtain design: inside outside

contractors —
main contractor: ed. züblin AG
façade contractor: dobler-metallbau, GIG fassaden
furniture: unifor, lensvelt