NeW THYSSeNKRUPP QUaRTeR NOW OPeN FOR BUSINeSS

06 geRMaNY LeaD STORY
The external facilities are just as impressive as the architecture of the
buildings. Some 700 trees, numerous landscaped areas and a pond
200 m long by 30 m wide substantially improve the microclimate of
the whole site. They are integral ingredients in the concept of a modern
working environment.
Demands for the sustainable use of raw material resources were met
in the design and construction of the buildings and the grounds. The
heat/cold in the ground will be used for geothermal heating and cool-
ing, while heat will be recovered from the waste air from the offices.
A newly developed sunshade system consisting of some 400 000
centrally controlled slats will ensure pleasant indoor temperatures.
The rainwater falling on the roofs of the ThyssenKrupp Quarter will
be drained into the lake in the neighbouring Krupp Park. From there
it will be fed into the River Emscher, where it will help to improve
water quality.
Dr. Ekkehard Schulz gives us an insight into the background: “The
decision to relocate the Group’s head offices to Duisburg and Essen
was and still is a sign of our firm commitment to Germany, North
Rhine-Westphalia, and the Ruhr. For even as a globally active technology
group, we remain a company of the Ruhr. This tradition is
important to us, it shapes who we are and what we do – throughout
the world.”
THYSSENKRUPP QUARTER
SETS NEW STANDARDS
Sustainable treatment of environment and natural resources
“The ThyssenKrupp Quarter is to become a symbol for the forwardlooking,
sustainable development of the Group.” This ambitious aim,
set out by ThyssenKrupp in the guidelines for the architectural competition,
has now been successfully realised after a construction period
of around three years. This is reflected in an efficient energy supply
concept, the predominant use of materials available or produced
locally, and an energy-efficient heating and cooling system for the
buildings, to name just a few examples.
This project set the direction for an urban development programme with
significance beyond the region. Sustainable development must meet
ecological, economical and social objectives – ecological in the sense
of protecting health and the environment, economical with regard to the
sparing use of resources, and social in terms of fair, integrative and
pleasant living conditions.
Office buildings as power plants
The ThyssenKrupp Quarter will use the heat and cold stored in the
ground for geothermal heating and cooling. To do this, ground couplings
were installed at depths of up to 100 m in the roughly 1000 m²
“geothermal field”. ThyssenKrupp GfT Bautechnik supplied the plant
necessary for drilling the boreholes – a HBR 205 GT drilling rig. A total
of 30 boreholes 100 m deep will in the future extract heat from deep in
the ground for efficient space heating and hot-water supplies.
The geothermal system not only heats and cools the buildings, it
can also be used to store surplus heat or cold in the ground.
Responsibility for the environment
Before construction work started, the entire site of the Quarter was
examined for possible legacies from almost 200 years of industrial
history such as obstructions or contamination. With the assistance of
experts, minor contamination was professionally disposed of off-site.
The landscaping of the site is exemplary. More than 700 trees will be
planted – involving 15 species from five continents. Throughout the
Quarter, rainwater on the roofs of the buildings will be collected and
fed to the lake in Krupp Park via a drainage system separate from the
effluent drains. For this innovative rainwater separation system in the
ThyssenKrupp Quarter, the Emschergenossenschaft water management
association has presented ThyssenKrupp with its “Watermark”
award. The “Watermark” from Emschergenossenschaft symbolises
an intact natural water cycle and is awarded to projects making sustainable
use of rainwater.
eco-friendly construction materials
In the construction of the ThyssenKrupp Quarter, only indigenous,
fast-growing wood species were used whose production conditions
are known. In the interiors too, e.g. wooden flooring, only eco-certified
wood was used. The materials for the external areas were selected
consciously on the basis of sustainability. In the majority of cases,
materials produced locally or nationally from renewable sources were
used.
Lighting power consumption optimised
To limit power requirements, the ThyssenKrupp Quarter will use a
fully automated system with daylight-dependent brightness control
and presence detection. That means light will only be provided where
and to the extent to which it is really required. Lifts are fitted with LED
lights, which in comparison with conventional fluorescent tubes use
up to 90% less energy. And on the escalators as well, low-level LED
strips and LED underglow lighting ensure the necessary level of
brightness.
award for sustainable building
The ThyssenKrupp Quarter sets new standards for minimised consumption
of energy and resources, the increased use of renewable
resources, minimal ecological impact and the creation of modern
working environments. At the EXPO REAL 2009 international real
estate show, the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) awarded
the new building a Pre-certificate in Gold for the newly created
German Certification for Sustainable Buildings.
Technology: ThyssenKrupp products in new headquarters
Almost 50% of the materials used in the construction of the new
headquarters were supplied by ThyssenKrupp itself. In addition, there
are 20 high-tech lifts, three escalators and further passenger conveyors
that were produced within the ThyssenKrupp Group.
geRMaNY 07
Technology:
ThyssenKrupp producTs
in new headquarTers
The most conspicuous proof of the group’s materials technology competence
is found in the sunshades on building Q1: 400 000 stainless
steel slats control the amount of incoming light. Stainless steel grade
4404 has been used, a highly corrosion-resistant alloy containing chromium,
nickel and molybdenum and supplied by ThyssenKrupp Nirosta.
Shaped by ThyssenKrupp Umformtechnik, these slats are key elements
in a sunshading system that so far is unique. But the real highlight is
that the system aligns itself automatically according to the altitude of
the sun, in doing so excludes direct sunlight and at the same time redirects
the incident light into the interior so that the offices are properly
illuminated. To do this, the slats, each about 7 cm long, are fixed to
vertical central shafts. These shafts can rotate and therefore align the
stainless steel slats according to the altitude of the sun. Data concerning
the respective seasonal trajectory of the sun are stored in the
system’s control and additional information about the current weather
situation is gathered by the system from a weather station on the roof
of Q1. On cloudy days all the slats are rotated such that the sunshade
remains open.
More than 10 000 m² of steel flats with an innovative special coating
were produced for the headquarters by ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe.
The coating, sold under the trade name of PLADUR ZM Premium, has
a high-quality appearance due to its multi-coat paint finish in a shade
known as “pearl metallic gold Q1”.
Thanks to this special pigment, the coloured tinge of the surfaces
changes with the light or viewing angle. The coating was applied using
the so-called coil coating method in which paint is applied to a flat ribbon
of sheet steel in a continuous process in special plants. The principal
technical innovation is that the surface of the sheet steel is protected
by a zinc-magnesium alloy before the paint is applied. This alloy
provides a level of corrosion resistance that is almost double that of
conventional hot-dip galvanising.
The fully automatic system for controlling the brightness in the
individual rooms closes the slats in the windows of the buildings
when the sunlight is too intense.