Berschneider + Berschneider has completed ‘Be Orange’, a new office and administrative building on an inner-city brownfield site in Regensburg, Germany. Developed in close collaboration with client V.I.S. Vermögensverwaltung GmbH, the project combines urban infill, craft, and facade technology. Sabina Schimpel, managing director of the client company, was responsible for the design of the restaurant space and entrance area.
The building is defined by its ventilated rainscreen facade: a vivid orange layer of parametrically developed composite elements set above a glazed ground-floor plinth. Its three-dimensional, coral-like structure was produced as a prototype and marks the transfer of a manufacturing process previously used in the automotive sector into building construction.
Parametric design and facade fabrication
The facade modules were developed by specialist fabricator Christian Karl Siebenwurst GmbH & Co. KG using a parametric design approach. The organic, coral-like three-dimensional structure was developed through a parametric design process that controlled the geometry, opening ratios, and depth of the facade modules.
This approach shaped both the appearance and fabrication of the facade. Eight different element types, based on a module size of approximately 2.3 × 1.5 metres, were prototyped, tested, and individually approved. The two-part shell geometry was then laminated, bonded, and painted. Each module was manufactured from a polyester glass-fibre composite.
Realisation required industrial expertise from the automotive supply industry, alongside close collaboration between the architects, structural engineers, facade engineers, and fabricator.
Material efficiency through prototyping
The parametrically controlled development process supported a high degree of material efficiency. The aim was to create a lightweight construction, with each facade element weighing around 20–25 kilograms and capable of being installed by a single worker.
Through prototyping, precise geometries, and accurate lamination, material excess was minimised and waste reduced. The high level of prefabrication also increased production and installation efficiency compared with more conventional facade solutions.
The facade modules act as a brise-soleil, reducing solar radiation while giving the building a contemporary expression within its heterogeneous urban context.
Glazed ground floor and flexible floorplates
At ground level, generous glazing opens the restaurant and entrance areas towards the public realm, helping connect the building to the street. On the upper floors, horizontal window bands are integrated into the ventilated facade construction.
The building’s solid structure creates column-free floorplates that can be adapted for offices, medical practices, or co-working. An atrium rises as a bright vertical void, with white walls, overhead glazing, and projecting colour-framed internal windows bringing daylight, depth, and a playful sense of orientation to the centre of the building.
