Rethinking the Workplace with B-One: A Model of Sustainability

The new B-One office complex, designed for Berlin Hyp by C.F. Møller Architects, sits in the heart of Berlin’s City West area. With 13 stories and 19,000 m² of floor area, the building brings together teams from Berlin Hyp and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) in the one place, creating a shared hub where sustainability, worker well-being, and innovation converge within an understated, contemporary architectural vocabulary.

Sustainability as a design driver

The project grew from the principle of sustainability – not just as a technical add-on but as a driving force integral to every aspect of the building. The demolition of the previous structure received Platinum certification from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), which contributed to the new build halving its energy consumption.

Many aspects contributed to this, including façade-integrated photovoltaics, geothermal energy, thermally activated concrete slabs, and underfloor mixed-mode ventilation. Sustainable transportation is encouraged through 120 bicycle parking spaces and electric vehicle charging stations. A state-of-the-art rainwater management system enables full on-site reuse of rainwater, avoiding discharge to the municipal stormwater system.

The aim is to achieve DGNB Platinum and Diamond certifications, which attest to the highest standards of sustainability and architectural quality.

Integration into the urban fabric

Integration into the building’s Berlin setting hinges on continuity and scale. At 44.79 m tall, the building has 11 levels above grade and two basement levels.

The façade on Budapester Strasse establishes a coherent, context-sensitive dialogue with a setback design that gradually steps down the building height to align with the historic building at No. 5. The stepped profile also maximizes green areas, creating terraces accessible from multiple floors and passive shading.

The rooftop has a garden and conference rooms with views across Berlin, while the internal courtyard is a green oasis. A Scandinavian design approach ensures continuity between building and landscape.
 

Well-being and flexibility in the workplace

The architectural concept focuses on reframing work around flexibility, activity, and social interaction. Each stage of the project’s design followed these principles through a participatory process with the employees.

Julian Weyer, architect and partner at C.F. Møller Architects, explains flexibility as not just “movable walls or reconfigurable spaces, but creating environments that inspire different ways of working and collaborating.”

With its 500 conventional and 250 open-plan workstations, the building is designed to encourage interaction and exchange. This extends to flexible, adaptable floor plates with circulation and communication zones for brief exchanges, flexible collaboration zones for group work, and focus rooms, phone booths, and huddle rooms for concentrated or private tasks.

The project’s symbolic and social nerve center is its Town Hall, a monumental staircase with integrated seating that links the different levels and functions as a group space for meetings, conferences, and informal gatherings.

With its essential vocabulary and environmental focus, B-One stands as a model of conscious architecture that combines environmental responsibility, worker well-being, and civic engagement.

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