Building houses while also protecting the climate and conserving resources – the gap here is still much too wide. Drees & Sommer SE, a consulting firm specializing in construction and real estate, demonstrates an alternative in the new net plus energy building at Obere Waldplätze 12 (known as OWP12). It is being opened today at the corporate campus in Stuttgart’s Vaihingen district. Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of the German State of Baden-Württemberg, and Stuttgart’s Lord Mayor, Dr. Frank Nopper hailed the showcase project as a blueprint for climate-friendly construction, an inspiration for the entire buildings sector. Drees & Sommer invested around EUR 22 million in the office building, digitally designed with green credentials. After two years of construction work, on schedule and within budget, it now provides space for around 200 employees.
The new office block provides answers to the climate crisis and represents the switch to renewable energy sources in the buildings sector. The net plus energy building was designed to be recyclable as far as possible, generating more energy than it consumes in operation. This will be achieved in part by a newly developed, highly insulated façade construction, photovoltaic systems on the roof and on the southern façade, the use of geothermal energy via geothermal boreholes, and the greening of the northern façade. The Cradle to Cradle principle (C2C) was used to ensure the building's recyclability, the absence of harmful substances, and ease of dismantling. As a result, construction materials can be recycled in high quality, or returned to a biological cycle, after a building has been demolished at a later date. Information on the materials used and their chemical composition is provided by a material passport.
For Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann, the consistent focus on sustainability is seen as a game-changer for future construction projects: ‘The construction and real estate industries have special responsibility when it comes to sustainability. Landmark projects such as Drees & Sommer's new building show how the transformation to a sustainable and climate conscious construction culture can succeed. Two factors are particularly important: recyclable materials that don't end up in the garbage at the end of their useful life, and an energy supply from renewable sources that can provide sustainable power not only for the company's own needs, but also for the neighborhood. In our strategic dialog on affordable living and innovative building solutions we will also discuss these issues in depth.‘
More information you can find in the press release.
You can find the building images here: Fotos OWP12