FOM University of Applied Sciences

The new university building for FOM University of Applied Sciences in Berlin provides lecture rooms for up to 2,500 students on four floors as well as office space on the fifth floor. Knippers Helbig was commissioned with both structural and façade engineering. The monolithic external walls primarily consist of C8/9 class ultra-lightweight concrete of up to 65 cm thickness. Consequently, there was no need for the use of insulation materials as the building meets even the increased requirements of the German Energy Saving Regulation (EnEV) of 2016. Within the scope of a project-specific technical approval Knippers Helbig obtained the authorisation of the concrete and subsequently examined and enhanced the building and manufacturing process. The remaining interior construction elements such as the access core and the staircases will be executed in standard concrete. The triple insulated glazing with a second layer of laminated glass allows for natural ventilation and offers excellent sound protection. The double layer facade correlates to the small-scale temperature gradient within the insulating concrete. Fasteners and sealants were matched with the physical properties of the insulating concrete.