In conversation with Bernd Haase
Building strategist and partner at the Vollack Gruppe
He is a partner at the Vollack Group. He calls himself a building strategist. In our interview, he tells us what that means and why he thinks the igloo is the most beautiful building in the world. The family man, who is crazy about nature and sports, loves change, experiments with wooden sculptures, enhances old apple tree strains in his garden in the Uckermark and is open to trying new food from all over the world.
What exactly is a building strategist?
We follow a holistic approach. We are not just an architecture firm and planning office, but also construct the buildings. This includes seeking out premises and funding opportunities.
How many building projects in Adlershof is Vollack currently involved in?
Three office buildings and one for manufacturing purposes – a new building for Fortis Consulting with the anchor tenants Holoeye AG and DanTech Energy. And we finished the company headquarters for the glass fibre company Loptek at the start of this year.
How important is energy-efficient building to you?
What has been compulsory in residential construction is also increasingly hard to avoid in industrial and commercial construction. Which is why, our aspiration to sustainable buildings is high up on our agenda in unison with our customer’s wishes. The best example is the DanTech Energy building. When completed, it will be Berlin’s largest manufacturing and office building constructed according to the passive house standard. The building’s distinguishing feature is that it’s equipped with innovative air conditioning using induction heating. There are already plans to extend the building later and equip it with photovoltaics.
Which building materials do you recommend?
We focus on regional products, which we define as products originating within a radius of 250 km.
What is your idea of a perfect workplace today?
A mix of workplaces: open, communicative spaces for developing and exchanging ideas; places for interaction like video conferencing, and places for retreating. Our work environment is changing rapidly. I am sure that offices will turn into workplaces for concentration that also leave room for our human strengths like empathy, our values and the development of our emotional intelligence. Very efficient machines and computers will increasingly take over menial tasks for us. This is exciting because technology and machines are already ergonomically unburdening us in manufacturing. We should get used to constant change and try to actively shape it and risk trying new things. That way we can make the most of every new working environment.
When did you first visit Adlershof?
That was at the beginning of the 90s. I was working for an engineering office and I was one of the planners of the office building for the electron storage ring BESSY II. After that I went to Eisenach and Hannover for a few years, but as a born and bred Berliner I always wanted to go back. I had that opportunity in 2012, when I recommended the Technology Park Adlershof as the location for the new Vollack branch.
Is Vollack planning an own building on the site?
We have constructed a building on Rudower Chaussee 46 for the real estate development company immexa, which was awarded the LEED certificate in gold. We rent offices there. Our lease ends in 2020 and we are already talking about acquiring our own premises in Adlershof.
Personally, what’s the most interesting building in Adlershof?
I can think of two straight away: the tailspin wind canal and the thermo-constant spherical laboratories. Adlershof is a place of history and innovative energy. The landmarks from the age of aviation illustrate that.
What about the most beautiful building worldwide?
The igloo. It’s built using the simplest methods, it’s not forever but it’s sturdy. It creates a safe space. A good building is unobtrusive, relaxed and low-key and able to give people a home.
What do you do in your spare time?
In my youth, I did athletics, trained for the decathlon and played volley ball. I still play the latter. In winter, I love to ski in deep snow and I go hiking with my family in South Tyrol in autumn and enjoy the Törggelen, which is the traditional feast after wine pressing. The mountain lodges, taverns and restaurants offer wine tastings and great food. I also love cooking with my family. I replenish my energy in our garden in the Uckermark. A huge orchard. There is nothing more beautiful than having breakfast underneath blossoming apple trees. I collect old wood and twigs from my garden and arrange experimental sculptures in combination with other materials.
By Sylvia Nitschke for Adlershof Journal