Futurium

The Futurium (formerly known as the ‘House of the Future’) is an exhibition and events centre in Berlin’s Mitte district that sits right next to Berlin Central Station and the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (another project planned by Werner Sobek). The Futurium’s goal is to make the general public aware of future-orientated developments of national and international importance. The building, which has a total gross floor area of nearly 14,000 m², is divided up into two underground storeys (which include the ‘Futurium Lab’), an above-ground floor with a large space for permanent exhibitions, and several intermediate levels.

Werner Sobek supported the project with comprehensive sustainability consultancy services. This involved comparing various strategies for optimizing the building’s comfort level and energy requirements, a life-cycle-orientated analysis that incorporated both passive measures (with a focus on the building’s facade) and life-cycle comparisons of structural component assemblies and methods of energy production. Thermal building simulations and daylight simulations were also carried out during the course of the optimization process.

A key emphasis of Werner Sobek’s consultancy work was to cooperate closely with technical building services planners and building contractors to collectively optimize the project’s energy concept. This resulted in an innovative energy concept that cleverly combines both active and passive measures in one building (e.g. via the integration of latent heat storage units).