design competition Concept and aim of the design is to make an easy and sun-drenched building to produce an optical contrast to the existing, majestic Federal Building, the Bundesrat. facade With the help of heliostats 16 slots light up the façade facing the Leizigerstrasse. 16 slots representing the 16 federal states of Germany. light columns The visitors enter through a light curtain created by the heliosats on the roof. The more darker (because of the north facing façade) looking façade is lid up and seen from a far. The feeling of transparency and an openness is created and will cause curiosity of the inner life of the building. interior The inner and representative glazed staircase connects the two adjacent programs and stands for the openness of the building. The upper floors 2, 3 and 4 are based directly on the respective height of the Bundesrat. The spacious and sculptural staircase provides the connection between the monumental Federal Council and the new building. To maintain the existing green areas on the property as far as possible, we created a big luscious garden on the rooftop. The roof gardens were especially created for events. All of them are facing the sunny south side and are sheltered well against cold winds from the West. Urban Development The building edges and axes of the neighboring buildings of the Bundesrat are taking into account and shape the new visitor center. Result is a highly articulated structure, which allows sufficient light to enter into the deeper parts of the building. The garden and rear of the building opens up the structure, leading to on the south side of the building for openness and transparency. Through various cuts in the body of the building, the garden and the view of the Federal facade are repeatedly involved in the cultivation and left no doubt about his determination to complement the historic building stock. Energy / light space concept Heliostats are used on the roof areas within the green zone, which bring so-called Light tubes or light shafts (therefore energy ) in the low-lying areas. These heliostats transport heat and light, so that they have a positive impact on the carbon footprint of the building. Show Sun investigations, that the new building will benefit most of the day by the sun, without placing too great a heat. The three parts of the building visitors, management and special areas for BImA, however, are connected to each other and can thus be used alternately as needed. Alternating lines of sight were preferred in the design of the building dark aisles.