Green rainbow: Eco means many colours in Hamburg

Hamburg – A new building façade, inspired by the Light Futures trend, will be both eye-catching and environmentally friendly.

The planned headquarters for Hamburg’s Office for Urban Development and the Environment (BSU) will use renewable energy resources such as sun-powered heating and geothermal energy.

Designed by Berlin-based architects Sauerbruch Hutton, the multi-purpose building will house exhibition spaces, restaurants, a library, a conference centre and an amphitheatre. The design uses both low- and high-tech green building strategies throughout its seven separate ‘houses’. Each features its own atrium with an open staircase, to provide natural light and cross-ventilation in the interior spaces.

The BSU’s new home is set for completion in 2013.