A German Architectural Firm Embraces Sustainable Building Practices

This article is part of a special report Climate Solutionslooks to worldwide efforts to make a difference.

There was a time when Martin Henn’s grandfather and father were at the peak of their careers, when many architects lived by the simple belief: bigger was better. But with a growing awareness of how this thinking contributes to greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, a new vocabulary has sprouted at many companies: sustainability, circular economy, organic design.

It’s the kind of language that 41-year-old Martin Henn brought to the German architectural firm HENN, which his grandfather Walter Henn founded in Dresden in 1947 and his father Gunter joined in 1979 and later expanded to Munich. This is in line with a growing awareness among architects of the need for design in a way that helps rather than harms the environment.

Changing building practices has enormous potential to reduce CO2 emissions. Construction and operations account for about 40 percent of the CO2 emitted globally each year, and materials and construction alone account for 11 percent of emissions. Architecture 2030, a Santa Fe, NM-based think tank Just three popular materials — concrete, steel and aluminum – contributes to 23 percent of all emissions.

As managing director of HENN, Mr. Henn joined the family business in 2008 after working at Zaha Hadid Architects in London and Asymptote Architecture in New York. He now oversees the design of all HENN’s projects. He said he approaches his role with the intent to make a positive impact on the environment in every building his company designs.

“Architecture is a powerful tool that can really help mitigate climate change,” he said. “The opposite tends to be the general perception, but it certainly doesn’t have to be.”

HENN has more than 350 employees and Merck Innovation Center in Darmstadt, Germany; NS Volkswagen Transparent Factory in Dresden; and one Hyundai Design Centerin Seoul, among others. The firm has dealt with more than 70 buildings, including. Westlake University in Hangzhou, China and Gasteig, a cultural center in Munich.

Below are excerpts from a recent interview with Mr. Henn, who spoke to The New York Times from Berlin, where he is. This interview has been edited and shortened.

HENN is a well-established architectural firm. How did their priorities change when you joined?

I come from a younger generation who understand the urgency of our climate crisis. Limiting the environmental impact of our work and making a positive impact became a priority. I also brought a new design dictionary to the firm.

Can you explain how sustainability affects the structures you design?

The most sustainable building is the one that uses the least building materials and operational energy, is made of materials with the lowest carbon footprint, and has the longest lifespan. HENN considers all three factors in every design.

We believe in less destruction and more reuse or renewal. About one third of our projects are renovations.

New construction must anticipate the future with designs that are easy to reuse or disassemble as needed. Our buildings also use local and recycled materials; more timber and less concrete because timber is one of the most sustainable building materials in the world; and façades that allow the building to breathe like an organism, keeping it cool in summer and warm in winter without using air conditioners or heaters.

Could you tell us how your last two projects evaluated the environment?

We recently overhauled HVB Tower In Munich, built in 1981. The aim was to protect the exterior while transforming it into an energy efficient building. We removed the original façade panels, cleaned, perforated and repositioned them for a double-layered exterior.

The windows of the new inner layer can be opened for fresh air. This is unusual in tall buildings, but lowers cooling costs and is better for the environment and healthier for occupants. Renovated building obtained LEED Platinum certificate.

Another example is Brunner Innovation Factory, for the furniture company Brunner in Rheinau. Inspired by the construction details and natural materials of its products, we designed a lightweight, minimal structure made of sustainable wood, designed to be easily disassembled and reused.

Please mention how some of your upcoming projects are sustainable.

We undertake an ambitious modernization of Gasteig, a cultural center opened in Munich in 1985. Our proposal reuses as much of the original structure as possible – a radical idea in the context of today’s disposable culture.

We remove and reuse bricks as a form of CO2 storage; using solar panels for energy and the nearby river for passive heating and cooling strategies; and using the roof as an urban farm, whose produce will be used in Gasteig’s restaurant.

HENN is also working to expand University Hospital in Aachen [Germany]. Because our extension is almost entirely underground, we leave the original building and landscape visually untouched.

The intensive care unit, operating theaters and common areas are arranged around a series of light wells and sunken gardens that provide ample sunlight, natural ventilation and access to green spaces within the hospital.

Can you share your challenges when it comes to sustainability, as you have designed the buildings and helped you see them come true?

The faster-better-stronger imperative still applies to the construction industry, which could mean defaulting on fast, familiar and inexpensive solutions. But building sustainably doesn’t mean a more expensive building, especially when you consider not just construction costs but lifetime costs as well.

What previously seemed more expensive will cost less in the long run: a double-layer façade rather than a single layer will reduce heating and cooling costs; the use of high-quality materials will avoid the need for repair and replacement; structural systems designed for disassembly can be used repeatedly; and even LED lights last longer than regular lights.

What social responsibility do architects have to be more sustainable?

As architects, we have an urgent personal and professional responsibility to address CO2 emissions from buildings. The most important thing we can convey is that sustainability is not an afterthought or addition, it is not just solar panels on a roof – finding form is fundamental to the materials we use and the performance and performance of a building. components.

How can architects influence developers to use sustainable building materials to build their structures? Is it their responsibility to do this?

One way to approach this is on the developer’s bottom line. In addition to the long-term cost-saving benefits of adaptable buildings, circular structures and sustainable building materials, we can save time and money with modular and prefabricated structures. [prefabricated] structure.

Developers are already dealing with sustainability, a much easier conversation now than it was 10 years ago. The next step is to go beyond the certification checklist that comes at the end of the project to identify how sustainability can motivate a project and how it can be integrated from day one.

What are some building materials that make buildings more sustainable?

It is best to use local materials that do not need to be transported long distances and natural materials such as wood, which are renewable and carbon-retaining when harvested sustainably; surfaces made of clay or ceramic, an easily available material with a natural pollutant-binding effect and regulating interior humidity; and natural stone coating that can be produced with zero waste methods.