Tour Total

Berlin
Height 68.8 m / 226 ft
Floors 18
Official Name
The current legal building name.

Tour Total

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed, 2012

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Germany

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Berlin

Postal Code

10557

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

office

Structural Material
Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered a “steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Reinforced Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars.

Precast Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning system are constructed from steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. steel, concrete, timber), one on top of the other. For example, a steel/concrete indicates a steel structural system located on top of a concrete structural system, with the opposite true of concrete/steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used in a composite building’s core, columns, and floor spanning separately.

concrete

Official Website

Tour Total

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

68.8 m / 226 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
68.8 m / 226 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
59.7 m / 196 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

18

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

3

# of Parking Spaces
Number of Parking Spaces refers to the total number of car parking spaces contained within a particular building.

248

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

5

Top Elevator Speed
Top Elevator Speed refers to the top speed capable of being achieved by an elevator within a particular building, measured in meters per second.

2.5 m/s

Construction Schedule
2010

Proposed

2010

Construction Start

2012

Completed

Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Owner
TOTAL Deutschland GmbH
Developer
CA Immo Deutschland GmbH
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Barkow Leibinger
Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

GuD Planungsgesellschaft für Ingenieurbau mbH
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Fürstenau & Partner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

omniCon Gesellschaft für innovatives Bauen mbH
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Foundation
Prof. Quick und Kollegen - Ingenieure und Geologen GmbH
Geotechnical
Prof. Quick und Kollegen - Ingenieure und Geologen GmbH

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building Europe 2013 Award of Excellence

2013 CTBUH Awards

Innovation Award 2013 Award of Excellence

2013 CTBUH Awards

About Tour Total

Set into Europacity, a master plan for a new urban district of 40 hectares directly to the north of the main train station in Berlin, Tour Total is the headquarters for the French energy company Total and is the first building in this plan. It is a freestanding high-rise that gives the company and its 500 employees a clear identity for their headquarters in Germany.

The freestanding tower defines a pedestrian passage on the west that leads to a new public space with restaurants and other amenities, located between the new tower and a planned adjacent urban block.

The building acts as a pilot project for Europacity, and serves as an example, setting the tone aesthetically and sustainably for future construction within the plan. Tour Total demonstrates how a master plan can adapt and change to the specific requirements of individual clients. While conforming to the intention of the master plan, it also provokes and pushes back against it. This is also significant in the overall context of Berlin.

Tour Total combines a Berlin typology - the “raster façade” or façade-grid - with ambitions for sustainable energy use, which was a primary goal for the tenant. This is consistent with an idea of combining formal / aesthetic ambitions for the building with performative / functional ambitions, wherein both are integrated. Sustainability is not a project “add-on.”

The raster façade is a sculpturally folded curtain, which wraps the volume, giving the building a dynamic effect in changing conditions of light and shadow. Historic Berlin facades typically operate with a material depth by which a façade may appear opaque from an oblique view and transparent from the front. Tour Total subverts this typology by creating a rippling visual effect through the precast facade elements. This effect is pronounced by oblique natural daylight and by electric lighting at night.

The volume of the building generates well-lit and ventilated office floors. Every second window is operable to a safe opening distance, allowing natural ventilation. The form of the building reacts to a number of existing urban conditions. Its front is oriented to Heidestrasse and to the planned future park to the north. The overall form then folds, creating concave and convex sides, reacting to both the orthogonal edge of the Heidestrasse and to the radial system generated by the curving Minna-Cauer Strasse. A two-story arcade, defined by columns, wraps the building base, with closed and open arcades for the main entrance and a pedestrian path to the north. The arcade acts as a filter between the lobby and the exterior, and as a scaling device for the overall building.

The DGNB (German Sustainable Building) Silver Certificate was an early goal and guided the design. Much of this was achieved through an intelligent facade system and energy re-use. The raster façade is a load-bearing precast concrete frame that eliminates interior columns, allowing floor-to-ceiling triple-glazed windows, and generating more usable floor area. The precast façade generates a ratio of 60 percent glazed to 40 percent closed surfaces, improving insulation values. This deep façade protects from direct sunlight and also provides a pocket depth in which to integrate retractable louvers for additional sun control.

Heating and cooling systems are integrated into suspended ceiling panels, which is more efficient than floor-based systems. Precast concrete has the added advantage of being a fireproof building material, eliminating the need for additional fire protection. This also means that the building requires only a single exit stair with baffle and sprinklers, generating additional usable floor area.

Total was determined to express the ambition of sustainability and to achieve an appealing office space. The building is configured to provide flexible workspaces of a floor-plate depth that can be both naturally lit and ventilated. The building as a freestanding tower offers complex views and orientations from all sides. The ground floor consists of an entrance lobby and bistro opening out to the pedestrian passage generated by the scheme for usable exterior space, opening the building up to the city and emerging community.

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building Europe 2013 Award of Excellence

2013 CTBUH Awards

Innovation Award 2013 Award of Excellence

2013 CTBUH Awards