Tour Total, Berlin: a precast-concrete facade that “twists” slightly to give the tower an identity.

Reference project — not a Eurowindow project. This article summarises public information from the sources listed at the end, with our own commentary. Images belong to their owners and are embedded directly from Pinterest with a link back to the source.

The project at a glance

• Name: Tour Total, Berlin, Germany
• Architect: Barkow Leibinger
• Completed: 2012
• Area: 28,000 m²
• Function: Total’s German headquarters for about 500 staff, in the Europacity masterplan north of the Hauptbahnhof
• Consultants: energy – Energydesign Braunschweig; structure – GuD Planungsgesellschaft für Ingenieurbau; MEP – Fürstenau & Partner

What stands out on the facade

According to write-ups in The Architect’s Newspaper and Architect Magazine, Tour Total uses a grid facade of precast-concrete panels. The geometry of each panel is computed with parametric design software, giving the impression that the faces of the building twist slightly about an axis. The same articles say about 40% of the surface is solid and 60% triple glazing, with every second window openable.

Note: figures and descriptions above come from the sources cited at the end; we quote them for reference and have not verified them independently.

Our take

When we read a project like Tour Total we do not ask “is it beautiful”; we ask four questions any owner in Vietnam will meet:

1. Repeated modules are the friend of the schedule. Complex geometry can still be economical if it repeats and is prefabricated off site. That is one reason unitised curtain walls are favoured for tall buildings.
2. The glass-to-solid ratio decides energy performance. In a hot, humid climate like Ho Chi Minh City a high glass ratio only makes sense with low-E insulating glass and shading.
3. Operable windows on a tall building must be planned from the start. Wind pressure, water-tightness, safe operation and fire requirements all affect how the openings are divided.
4. A load-bearing facade differs from a hung curtain wall. When the facade is both skin and structure, every small change to an opening means recalculating everything. With an aluminium-and-glass curtain wall the structure is separate from the skin, which is more flexible; see Eurowindow curtain wall systems.

If you are weighing options for a high-rise project, send your brief to the Eurowindow technical team to discuss specifics.

Sources

• ArchDaily — Tour Total / Barkow Leibinger
• The Architect’s Newspaper — The Twisting Tour Total
• Architect Magazine — Tour Total, designed by Barkow Leibinger
• Pinterest — pin Tour Total / Barkow Leibinger

This article is for reference only and does not imply Eurowindow took part in this project. If you own an image or content and would like it changed or removed, please contact sonhn@eurowindow.biz; we will act immediately.