planzen forum – germany

Category: Complexity, sustainability and long-term maintenance

ESWE Versorgungs AG is an energy supply company that originated from the Wiesbaden municipal utilities. The administration building has an H-shaped floor plan, with the upper part closed off. To ensure that the offices receive daylight, there is an atrium in the upper part of the H, which also ventilates the individual offices. For energy reasons, the atrium has a glass roof and automatic shading using fabric. The fourth side consists of glass slats that can be used to regulate the supply of fresh air. The atrium is heated by the heat radiation from the offices facing the atrium. The building is approximately 18 m high and faces north-south.

There are five Ficus nitida trees in the atrium, approx. 6-7 m high, which are planted in ground beds. The trees are arranged in rows parallel to the building wall, with the trunks approx. 3 m from the wall and the trees themselves 4 m apart. Watering is automatic via drip hoses, regulated by a moisture sensor based on conductivity. The substrate consists of an inorganic material.

This project was planned and implemented by a Berlin-based company around the year 2000. From January 2002 to September 2006, we maintained these trees as a subcontractor. Until then, there was also underplanting with ivy. From October 2006, we took over this task directly. During this phase, the irrigation technology, such as drip hoses and solenoid valves, was renewed and lashing points were installed within the soil beds.

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