The modern exterior of Freiburg Townhall, designed by Christoph Ingenhoven, featuring a sleek facade with innovative design elements that harmonize with the historic surroundings
The modern exterior of Freiburg Townhall, designed by Christoph Ingenhoven, featuring a sleek facade with innovative design elements that harmonize with the historic surroundings
PROJECTS / FREIBURG TOWN HALL
World’s First Public Net-surplus-energy Building
The new town hall in Freiburg im Breisgau, which includes an administration center and a day nursery, was inaugurated in November 2017. This building is the world's first public structure built to net-surplus-energy standards. It accommodates 840 City Administration employees who were previously dispersed across various locations in Freiburg. This marks the completion of the first phase of construction. The second phase will add an additional oval building for further administrative functions.
The central feature of the new six-story building, which replaces a 1960s town hall pavilion, is the citizens’ service center on the first floor, which includes conference rooms and a staff restaurant. The upper floors house single and double offices, as well as large team offices with open-plan desk arrangements for various City Administration departments. The office layout is flexible and adaptable, thanks to a variable glazed partition wall system. Numerous interaction zones throughout the building encourage communication. The transparent design of the town hall facilitates easy navigation.Visually, the buildings stand out with their timber facades made from locally sourced larch wood. The town hall's facade features staggered, vertically projecting modules with photovoltaic cells and high-quality thermal insulation. Full-height glazed elements optimize daylight intake. The circular day nursery building has narrow vertical timber cladding and large openings with balcony doors, along with a second-floor access balcony. These openings provide ample daylight and views while offering direct access to the building
.
The administration center, part of the town hall extension, aims to enhance the urban design of Freiburg's Stühlinger area. The project is noted for its openness and transparency. A significant feature is the "green campus," which unites the building tracts and a day nursery. The ensemble promotes internal networking with its views and pedestrian routes.
Energy Concept
The new Freiburg Town Hall is the world’s first net-surplus-energy building in its category. Throughout the year, it produces more energy than it consumes, with the surplus being fed into the city grid.
Built to the stringent Passivhaus-Standard, the town hall's primary energy demand for heating, cooling, ventilation, and hot water is just 55 kilowatt-hours per square meter per year, which is only 40% of the energy required by comparable modern office buildings.
Sustainability is a core principle applied not only to the building itself but also to its energy concept. The design utilizes straightforward, cost-effective technical solutions.
Energy for the building is generated through suction and injection wells, thermal solar panels paired with heat pumps, and photovoltaic panels on the roof and facade. Geothermal installations provide the energy needed for cooling and heating. Thermal mass activation, which can be individually controlled in each office, is used for heating. The mechanical ventilation system is enhanced with highly efficient heat recovery.
New Ways of Working in the Citizens’ Service Center
The citizens’ service center, staffed by approximately 100 employees, provides general and advisory services to the public. All offices and workspaces are designed to balance functionality, openness, and flat hierarchies with the need for privacy and security. The center features a spacious and fluid layout with a curved design, enhancing the overall atmosphere. Large rooflights ensure ample daylight and provide excellent views outside. Downlights embedded in the white perforated ceiling panels are arranged to evoke the impression of a "star-studded night sky."
Room Climate Concept
The room climate concept for the offices includes thermal mass activation, heating/cooling sails, external solar screening, triple glazing, and mechanical background ventilation with heat recovery, all contributing to energy savings. Additionally, users can manually control the room climate by opening ventilation panels to let in fresh air.
In public areas such as the citizen’s service center, restaurant, and conference rooms, more complex air-conditioning needs are addressed with heating and cooling ceiling systems and a partial air-conditioning system featuring highly efficient heat recovery.
Visually, the buildings stand out with their timber facades made from locally sourced larch wood. The town hall's facade features staggered, vertically projecting modules with photovoltaic cells and high-quality thermal insulation. Full-height glazed elements optimize daylight intake. The circular day nursery building has narrow vertical timber cladding and large openings with balcony doors, along with a second-floor access balcony. These openings provide ample daylight and views while offering direct access to the building
Data
Construction Start 2018
Completion 2022
Client City of Freiburg
GFA town hall: 24,215 m²
day nursery: 1,900 m²
Greenbuilding DNG Climate Positive
Credits
User Freiburg City Administration
Site Supervision Ernst² Architects
Project Management Thost
Structural Design Mohnke Höss
Fire Protection Brandschutz Planung Klingsch
Facade Design & Energy Concept, Photovoltaics, building Services & Building Physics DS-Plan
Landscape Design BBS
Lighting Design Tropp Lighting Design
Awards
2020
German Solar Price , winner of the category solar architecture and city development
Hugo Häring Auszeichnung, BDA – category "Office and administration building Breisgau"
RIBA Award, Recognition Area Freiburg
2019
DGNB Climate Positive Award
German Sustainability Award
DAM Preis, nominated
2018
Balthasar Neumann Preis, Commendation
ArchitizerA+Awards, Finalist
WAF Awards, Finalist