Triangle with rounded corners

This was no easy task: The new office complex of German state rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) was to be implemented on a triangular plot of land and in the middle of a prominent location in Hanover. The historical-modern balancing act was mastered with a clinker brick façade.

A new office complex in Germany

The appearance of the DB office complex Lister Dreieck (Lister Triangle) in Hanover could almost be described as having a majestic elegance. The new building on the site of the former central bus station was completed in 2019. It unites DB facilities that were previously dispersed across in Hanover under a single roof.

Now, in this imposing urban location, dark red, T-shaped clinker brick pillars alternate with generous glass surfaces and form an organically rounded landmark. The design comes from the drawing board of the Berlin architectural office HASCHER JEHLE Architektur, who won the single-phase, invited competition in 2015.

In good architectural company

Historical buildings in Hanover served as inspiration for the façade of the 30,500-m² building. “The material of the outer shell is based on the timeless classics of Hanoverian brickwork architecture,” say the architects. “In this way, it blends in harmoniously with the urban context.” The building form was designed as a perimeter block development using the triangular shape of the plot created by the surrounding streets. It is also terraced towards the top.

The new building is sandwiched between the new central bus station, the eye-catching VW Tower and the pedestrian zone in Karl-Heinrich-Ulrich-Strasse. It manages to assert itself visually while still blending in with the surroundings thanks to the low building edge, rounded corners and tiered façade. The Terca waterstruck brick Naran used here underlines the building structure with different accents of colour that emphasise the sculptural quality of the wall panels.

The façade as a mirror of function

The division of the structure into a base area, main building and upper section is reflected by the three-dimensional treatment of the façade, which expresses the different functional zones of the building. “In the base area, the pillars are spaced 6.75 m apart and so provide ample transparency towards the outside for semi-public functions such as reception areas, conference rooms, training premises, cafés and a canteen,” explain the architects.

“The main structure above contains the office areas and is characterised by the sculptural and authoritative pillars spaced 1.35 m apart. The upper section of the building houses the technical areas and features more modest pillars spaced just 0.675 m apart. In this way, it is not only the volume of the building that is graduated, the structure of the façade is also progressively concentrated as it ascends, in keeping with the holistic design approach.”