Building services concept for Wir-Quartier Erfurt

Baukult GmbH is realizing the multi-generation project “Wir-Quartier” in Erfurt. This new development will comprise two residential towers, 45 and 60 meters high respectively, a city villa and a two-story underground carpark with a gross floor area of 30,000 m². The planning and consultancy firm CANZLER is conceiving and planning the building services including safety-related systems that observe high-rise building regulations, noise and energy saving requirements.

Some 110 apartments, a kindergarten and six commercial units are being realized on the previous site of the youth tourist hotel between Juri Gagarin Ring, Wallstrasse and Flutgraben. The plan by Worschech Archi­tekten foresees 30 units on the base of both towers being made over to a boarding house while 24 units will be available for senior citizens in shared accommodation; on the next levels there will be spacious 2 to 4 room apartments. The city villa has ten residential units. Part of the 7,800 m² plot will remain open to the general public in order to recall the spirit of the communal garden area “Wir-Garten”. An Erfurt initiative occasionally used the waste ground as a green oasis for relaxation and celebrations. Construction is planned to begin in summer 2018 with completion scheduled for 2022.

Currently, CANZLER is engaged in planning work for various services, namely heating, ventilation, sanitation, sprinkler systems, electrical engineering and building automation. “Every high-rise project poses special challenges,” says the responsible project manager Michael Bulant from CANZLER. “In the Wir-Quartier technical systems will be installed in such a way that the high-rise complies with building regulations without the mandatory second escape route.” This is achieved by equipping the towers with emergency stairwells complete with smoke protection pressure systems so that no smoke can penetrate in the event of a fire. In line with the garage regulations in Thüringen CANZLER plans to have a sprinkler system on level two of the underground garage. “To make sure these systems can work in an emergency the electricity supply will be secured via a second electricity feed-in from the Erfurt energy utility,” explains Bulant. Although this solution requires a great deal of consultation the cost is much lower than the acquisition, operation and intensive maintenance of an emergency power system would be. Moreover, CANZLER has conceived the ventilation systems so that sound emissions remain below the permitted inner-city levels.

Facade like Bosco Verticale

A vertical facade greening is to help provide a better micro-climate and help save energy thanks to its insulation properties. “Given the many interfaces with other systems every detail no matter how small needs to be coordinated with the facade planners, architects, fire protection specialists and structural planners,” says Bulant, whose team is responsible for planning the water connections for the irrigation of the greenery.