Cube, Berlin
Modern Glass Sculpture
The Cube project is prominently located near the central railway station in Berlin at Washington Place. The Cube shape is characteristic for this project, whereas the façade is executed as a double-skin façade.
The inner layer features a unitized window façade with interior pilasters and external sun shading. Steel structures support the outer shell, which consists of glass panels fixed in the glass joints.
An eye-catcher on the glass façade are the balconies, which cut into the building envelope from all views on different floors.
Requirements
Heat-treated glass is an anisotropic material. In large glass surfaces, this anisotropy can manifest as a kind of cloud formation on the glass under certain lighting conditions. Measurement methods and test values in the area of anisotropy are not yet standardized. To optimize the appearance of the glass surfaces, the customer requested a reduction in the anisotropy of the external glass panes. Therefore, a method was developed in collaboration with the glass manufacturer and the facade planner to directly test the glasses after production according to agreed-upon quality criteria. The following parameters were considered:
- Approved glass panes as reference objects,
- Regulation of the cooling rate in the annealing furnace,
- Scanning of each individual glass pane = visualization of the distribution of anisotropy in the glass.
Using this method, the glasses were able to be tested against all criteria, and all required values were met.
Project Signboard
Client:
OmniCon Gesellschaft für innovatives Bauen für CA Immo Deutschland
Architect:
3XN Architects Dänemark
