Fire Protection Refurbishment of a Listed High-Rise Residential Building from 1957

In the summer of 1957, the International Building Exhibition (Interbau) took place in West Berlin and became the largest exhibition event in West Germany during the 1950s. The exhibition was a showcase of superlatives, centred around the construction of an entirely new urban district. In the heavily war-damaged Hansaviertel district, approximately 1,300 apartments, a library, two churches, a kindergarten, a primary school and a shopping centre were developed on an area of 25 hectares.

More than 50 renowned architects from 14 countries, including Dr. Luciano Baldessari, designed buildings, in some cases working in collaborative teams. The buildings created during this period are embedded in spacious landscaped green areas designed by ten national and international landscape architects.
The overall planning of Interbau was led by the prominent architect and President of the Association of German Architects (BDA), Otto Bartning.

Various building types are represented in the Hansaviertel district: point towers and four-storey residential blocks line the urban railway curve, while eight- and nine-storey slab buildings by architects such as Walter Gropius, Pierre Vago, Alvar Aalto, Oscar Niemeyer and Egon Eiermann stand opposite.

When Interbau officially opened on 6 July 1957, only around one-third of the buildings had been completed. The remaining structures followed during the early 1960s.

Among those buildings is the now listed point tower at Bartningallee 5, designed by the renowned architect Dr. Luciano Baldessari.

Structural Fire Protection in a Listed Building – An Unusual Requirement Demanded an Innovative Solution

Modern fire protection and historic preservation often have conflicting objectives. Reconciling the legal requirements for comprehensive life safety with the preservation of historically significant buildings requires careful architectural and technical planning.

Planners and architects frequently struggle to find suitable products and solutions that combine safety, design and functionality. In contrast to new construction projects, upgrading fire protection measures in historic buildings often presents considerable challenges.

Existing utility installations, new electrical systems and modified escape routes can create complex requirements for all parties involved in refurbishment projects.

In the case of this listed high-rise building, electrical distribution and metering equipment as well as service shafts located within required corridors had to be enclosed in accordance with current fire protection standards. At the same time, the visual appearance of the original timber cladding, which provided no fire resistance, had to be reflected in the new solution.

Additionally, the cable risers and electrical distribution systems within the shafts needed to remain easily accessible.

From the planning stage onward, the architect and building owner specified that the existing historical elements should be recreated as faithfully as possible while ensuring that the fire risks associated with the electrical installations were enclosed in compliance with current building regulations. The structural measures also had to integrate harmoniously into the original design concept. This was no easy task.

The resulting requirements included:

• Fire resistance of at least 90 minutes
• Excellent accessibility to electrical installations and service areas
• Visual adaptability to match the historic building fabric

A suitable solution was sought and ultimately provided by PRIORIT.