The new KPMG building in Luxembourg is a character building that is visible to motorists and pedestrians; therefore the architecture reflects the “isle planning” principle that largely defines the constructive mode of Kirchberg.
The contrast of color and material results from the desire to create a signal building, visible and identifiable throughout the plateau of Kirchberg. Technical innovations create a sustainable building, with free cooling technology to reduce heating and cooling costs, LED lighting, a roof mounted photovoltaic system, and rainwater sprinkler system on the grounds.
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Situated next to the old city center of Luxembourg and right in the middle of the Kirchberg plateau, this character building is attracting all looks on the main boulevard and became an identification mark and an unavoidable marketing strategy aspect for its final user.
The urban design of this project is based on the “isle planning” principle that largely defines the constructive mode of Kirchberg, but also on the impression that motorists and pedestrians moving around the buildings are getting. Therefor it was absolutely necessary that the design of the building in question shows clean lines, that the architecture is outstanding on both points of views : visual and purely constructive.
The main entrance of the building is situated on the Boulevard Konrad Adenauer. A notch in the south-west façade creates a large drawing of the entrance generating its own aura, representative, incomparable and clear from the distance, where the public and semi-public spaces fuse together.
This building is clearly distinguished by the composition of its facade. The first skin is composed by a steel curtain wall formed with prefabricated X-shaped elements in „Corten“. This innovative structural façade immensely reduces the number of the pillars inside the building and therefor assures a great liberty for the design of the flexible offices which are organized along the glazed facades. Each X is connected to the slab via isolated HEB girders, nested at one end of the X and casted into the slab on the other side. Nearly 350 anchors bind the Corten façade to the different levels, making the facade a real structural element and not just a decorative facade.
The second skin is a curtain wall composed of chassis and spandrel gold anodized aluminum, with 50 cm distance to the outer Corten wall. Triple glazing ensures a high level of thermal insulation. This joinery system can also be found in the heart of the building on the facades overlooking the central atrium.
The central atrium is covered with a glass roof composed by a main supporting structure made out of wood which is covered with the modular system of Five-S made out of stainless steel supporting itself the glass roof.
The contrast of color and material results from the desire to create a signal building, visible and identifiable throughout the plateau of Kirchberg.
Technically, the new KPMG headquarters are a BB class according to CPE and is supplied with the district heating network of plateau Kirchberg.
The air handling the office units is operated on a DEC (Desiccant Evaporative Cooling) which is a system of dehumidification and air cooling using water and district heating for air treatment without taking course to a refrigerating machine.
In winter and mid-season, the cold required for computers and offices on the atrium-side is produced by ‚free cooling‘.
The corridors and washrooms are equipped with LED lighting.
A photovoltaic system on the roof produces an average of 28,500 kWh / renewable energy.
The outdoor sprinkler system is powered by a recovery facility rainwater.
The building was awarded “Very Good” by the BREEAM BREEAM certification.
