FM for one of the most digital buildings in the world

The spectacular building was completed in March 2020. RGM was commissioned with technical and infrastructural facility management during the construction phase. The cubic office building has an edge length of 42.5 metres and is completely glazed. What makes it special is that the glass façade is folded and bent. The surroundings are reflected in it like a kaleidoscope, meaning that its appearance changes depending on the incidence of light. This is not the only reason why the building has long been an attraction for tourists and many trade visitors from the construction and service industries.
 

In fact, the Cube is not only an architectural showcase and reference project, but also a technical one, and its high degree of digitalisation compared to a conventional office building often presents challenges for the Apleona team. For example, the energy gained from sunlight is used to cool the fresh air supplied to the building. And the windows are coated to minimise the heating of the interior spaces in summer.

The building, which is criss-crossed by sensors and controlled by a digital brain, cannot yet read its users' minds, but in case of doubt, a click on a smartphone is all it takes. This allows users to reserve a parking space in the underground car park, the lift already knows which floor the arriving passenger wants to go to, and the temperature and lighting at the workplace are set according to their preferences.

The Cube Berlin is therefore not only constantly connected to the user, but also measures almost all the data available in such an office complex. This includes, for example, air humidity and CO2 concentration, room occupancy and energy consumption.

Comprehensive networking
 

Responsible for this is the invisible, adaptive control centre, which turns the new building into a smart commercial building by linking the technical systems with operational and user data. Under the slogan ‘Tracking Everything’, over 3,700 sensors supply the central electronic brain, an AI system platform, with information.
 

This allows the heating, cooling and ventilation output to be regulated based on the number of people measured, and cleaning intervals to be adjusted to the intensity of use. Data from the app feeds the brain with information on user behaviour. The app serves as a key and control element for lighting and air conditioning; it provides instructions on how to use the technical equipment and information on the whereabouts of other users. It also displays available workstations that can be booked without long advance notice.

‘The Cube is a typical example of a newly built trophy property in a prime location, where almost everything that is technically possible has been implemented. It is an investment property that has little to do with everyday life in the property portfolios managed by Apleona and their users and owners,’ says Dr Michael Lange, CDO at Apleona. He believes that apps that enable the booking of resources such as workspaces or parking spaces will become increasingly prevalent in existing buildings in the future, as will smart locks, i.e. locking systems that can only be operated using programmed cards or, even better, smartphones. ‘We are seeing that such solutions are increasingly finding their way into existing buildings against the backdrop of portfolio and space optimisation after the coronavirus pandemic,’ says Dr. Lange.