The Centre of Competence in Wood on the B&O premises in Berlin-Weissensee reflects in its construction and appearance the various aspects of simple and sustainable building.

Conversion, refurbishment and careful additions give shape to a campus that picks up on the neighbouring small-scale structures. Inserted between two existing buildings, an exhibition area becomes a shop window to the outside. A single-storey, flexible and multifunctional space for temporary exhibitions or events is situated in the courtyard. As an orientation point, it connects the inner courtyard with the existing building and a new two-storey office building. The courtyard itself will be desealed and thus contribute to improving the microclimate of the city centre.

The façades of the single-storey structures are largely transparent to allow as many insights as possible. The event area will have four large sliding door elements that allow the interior to be extended into the exterior and are reminiscent of workshop doors. For the office extension, the classic punched façades of the existing buildings have been reinterpreted using floor-to-ceiling windows. The simple timber façades interweave horizontally and vertically in an interplay of colour and greying glaze.

The objective was to maximise the use of local pine wood. The supporting structure consists of columns and load-bearing wall panels, both made of timber, in the façade area. The firewall to the neighbouring building is also made of wood. Even the floor slab is a ventilated timber construction. All ceilings are load-bearing timber beams infilled with clay bricks. Two load-bearing bracing walls are built using clay construction and also non-load-bearing interior walls are clad with clay building boards. The materiality remains visible and, in addition to the effect of being displayed, contributes to a pleasant office climate.

The project is supported by Bauhaus der Erde, a cooperative partner of B&O. Research, monitoring and documentation of the project are funded by the DBU.