Located in Berlin’s historic Osthafen (East Harbour) on the Spree embankment, Dockyard is a contemporary seven-storey office complex designed by German architectural studio TCHOBAN VOSS Architekten. The 32,141-square-metre building employs a sustainable hybrid timber structure that combines timber, concrete, and recycled steel. With green roofs, expansive glazing to optimise natural light, and a design targeting LEED Platinum, LEED Zero Carbon, and other high-level certifications, Dockyard combines advanced building performance with a clear commitment to climate responsibility.

Urban redevelopment in Berlin’s East Harbour

At the beginning of the 20th century, Berlin’s Osthafen was one of the largest industrial harbours in the city. A three-storey administration building with a canteen, storage buildings, and warehouses, used for the transportation and storage of goods, shaped Berlin’s Spree embankment along Stralauer Allee (between the historic double-deck Oberbaum Bridge and riverside Treptower Park). Today, Stralauer Allee runs right through the heart of Berlin’s MediaSpree area, a large-scale urban redevelopment project that is transforming former industrial and harbour areas into a hub for media companies, offices, cultural venues, and waterfront public spaces.

In the early 2000s, TCHOBAN VOSS Architekten designed a master plan for the Osthafen area, incorporating existing historical buildings. Projects overseen by the firm included the construction of the hotel nhow Berlin, a headquarters for Coca-Cola, and a residential building called The White.

At Osthafen’s eastern end, an undeveloped plot with an area of 13,400 square meters, provided the site for the new Dockyard, Berlin building. TCHOBAN VOSS designed a contemporary seven-storey office building with underground parking. It is constructed from a hybrid timber system that prioritises sustainability, climate responsibility, and resource efficiency.

Dockyard rises slightly higher than its neighbours in the east end of the East Harbour area, corresponding with the slightly higher buildings at the west end of the promenade, including the listed “Spreespeicher” (a historic former grain warehouse) and the nhow hotel (with its striking aluminium-clad cantilever).

Sustainable construction

The Dockyard complex comprises two distinct volumes — one square and one rectangular — linked by a transparent glazed structure featuring exposed trusswork crafted from sustainable construction beech. The linking structure’s ground- and first-floor storeys act as an open, pillar-free passageway, framing views across the River Spree on one side and across Stralauer Allee on the other. The ceiling of the passageway is covered with mirrored onyx black stainless steel sheets, whose flowing reflections pay tribute to the ensemble’s waterfront setting.

The project employs a sustainable hybrid timber load-bearing structure, combining timber and concrete to maximise the benefits of both materials. The Dockyard building was designed with a skeleton frame that optimises the flexible use of space. Timber-concrete composite ceilings are used from the first floor upwards in the building’s square and rectangular volumes, and from the second floor upwards in the linking structure. DELTABEAM® Green steel–concrete composite beams were used in the hybrid ceilings. The five-storey link’s load-bearing structure is entirely steel-free. Diagonal trusses are strategically placed to create passageways between the individual areas. The ceilings of the basement and ground floor are entirely reinforced concrete.

The Dockyard building’s roofs have been extensively planted with greenery. Roof terraces on both volumes offer panoramic views of the Spree and the Wrangelkiez neighbourhood in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district. The terraces are connected by a footbridge on the linking structure and are accessed via staircases or two glass elevators.

The building’s square and rectangular sections each have their own ground-floor entrances, in the form of three-storey portals. With clear heights of up to 6.90 metres, the partly double-height lobbies are bright and instantly impressive. Access to both volumes is from the north side of the complex, facing Stralauer Allee, with horizontal circulation provided by two staircase cores and barrier-free lifts.

In the basement, an underground car park has a total of 81 parking spaces, nine of which are barrier-free. Electric charging stations are provided for all parking places.

Rhythmic facade design

From the first to the sixth floors, the Dockyard building’s main facades are unitised glass systems arranged in a two-storey rhythm of cornices and pilaster strips. Extensive glazing maximises daylight penetration, offsetting the building’s depth and reducing reliance on artificial lighting.

On the south side, facing the Spree, projecting bay windows alternate every two floors, supporting balconies. On the west, north, and east sides, glass facades incorporate recessed loggias set in the same alternating pattern.

Opaque facade surfaces are clad with suspended, folded aluminium sheets, adding depth and texture. Continuous cornices mark every second storey, with vertical pilaster strips aligned to each expansion axis.

The linking structure is enclosed with large-format mullion–transom glazing, and printed glass panels are placed where ceilings meet the building’s sides.

A contemporary and flexible office

Both parts of the building are designed as office space, with work areas occupying the first to sixth floors. The flexible layout grid allows open spaces to be configured as individual offices or open-plan areas, meeting all the standards of a contemporary workplace. On the ground floor, the western volume will house catering facilities, while the eastern volume will contain a conference suite with adaptable seminar rooms. The design also includes landscaped outdoor areas with seating, offering views over the promenade along the Spree.

Interiors and art

Ippolito Fleitz Group designed the Dockyard building’s lobbies, marketing suite, and signage. Art contributions include Julius von Bismarck’s ceiling installation Die Luft muss man sich wegdenken (“One Must Think Away the Air”), nylon pieces by Korean artist Kwangho Lee behind the reception desks, and artwork by Katrin Bremermann on the walls of the nearby Transformator House.