With its cubic shape and its 19,000 square feet, cube berlin catches the eye of anyone passing by. Its uniqueness lies in the building’s double-skin glass façade that, being multi-faceted and triangular in pattern allows reflections to change the building’s appearance depending on viewing angle, the weather, and the time of day.
cube berlin combines design and performance: it offers reduced energy consumption compared to traditional office buildings and the ventilated double-skin glass façade is a crucial factor in this.
The choice of Guardian SunGuard® HD Diamond 66 Ultra, Guardian SuperNeutral SN 62/34, Guardian ClimaGuard® Premium2 and of Guardian UltraClear® helped the building to reach the needs of solar control, thermal insulation and natural light transmission.
Torben Østergaard, partner at 3XN, the architect on the project comments: “In order to make the building work as a sculpture on the square, we were looking for reflective glass that emphasises the surface while also visually reflecting the surroundings. Our hope is that the design will prompt passers-by to ask ‘What’s actually going on here?’ and maybe even evoke a sense that the building is actually flirting a little bit with you.”
The aesthetic impact is clear, made possible by a carefully balanced combination of glass types. Less apparent is how this double skin ventilated façade is also a perfect example of how architectural glass design can deliver on the structural and energy requirements of today’s ‘intelligent’ commercial builds.