Rote Emma Residential Quarter | AllesWirdGut | Media - Sustainability

Efficient

Extensive use of timber-frame exterior walls within a hybrid timber-concrete construction system.
Approximately 4,500 linear metres / 13,000 m² of timber-frame exterior walls.
Original design aimed for an even higher proportion of timber.Original concept proposed:

Fire-safety requirements required the apartment partition walls and balcony slabs to be redesigned using other construction methods.
Timber columns and beams of the external balcony structures were retained.
Extensive prefabrication supports efficient construction and material use.
Thermally activated concrete slabs combine structural and thermal functions, reducing the need for separate heating/cooling distribution components.
External balcony structures were designed for future dismantling and potential reuse.
The facade is a non-load-bearing suspended timber-frame construction, structurally independent from the primary load-bearing system.

Efficient

District heating supplies heating instead of individual fossil-fuel heating systems.
Free cooling uses groundwater wells during warmer periods.
Thermally activated concrete ceilings provide heating and cooling through the building structure.
Photovoltaic systems are integrated into rooftop areas and pergolas.
The building's hybrid construction and building-envelope strategy contribute to energy efficiency.
PV installations provide electricity for communal areas.
Green roofs and rooftop gardens contribute to the environmental performance of the development.
PV pergolas combine:

Efficient

External balcony structures were designed to be dismantlable and potentially reusable.
The timber-frame facade is non-load-bearing and structurally independent from the primary structure.
Independent facade construction can facilitate:

Prefabricated construction supports controlled component installation and potential future replacement.
Thermally activated slabs combine structural and thermal functions, reducing the number of separate building systems.

Adaptive Reuse and Flexible Design Considerations

Adaptability was considered.
Red Emma is a new-build project, so this should be described as design for adaptability, rather than adaptive reuse.
Building depth was deliberately reduced to provide apartments with greater facade length.
An additional window axis creates a flexible 6–7 m² "bonus room."
The room can function as:

The space can be adapted without major structural alterations.
Shared coworking spaces provide additional flexibility outside the individual apartments.
Communal and ground-floor spaces can accommodate different social, cultural and commercial uses.

Disassemblable Elements for Circular Economy

Documented design-for-disassembly strategies are present.
External balcony structure can be dismantled and potentially reused.
Balcony construction uses separate timber columns and beams rather than being permanently integrated into the primary structure.
The facade is:

Sustainability Report