The Landesbeirat Holz Berlin-Brandenburg has published a guide on timber construction for municipal building projects. Aimed at towns, municipalities, and local decision-makers, it draws on completed projects from the Berlin-Brandenburg region to illustrate how timber construction can be both practical and cost-effective in a public-sector context. The publication is based on selected submissions to the Holzbaupreis Berlin-Brandenburg 2025.

Two ZRS projects are featured: the administration building at Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde (completed 2019) and the fire station in Neuseddin, Brandenburg (completed 2008). At the Tierpark, a 1960s prefabricated concrete-frame building was comprehensively retrofitted: the existing facade was removed entirely and replaced with a new timber-frame construction with rear-ventilated cladding and cellulose insulation. The Neuseddin fire station is built largely from natural materials – timber and cellulose over a reinforced concrete foundation – with 80 percent of materials and contractors sourced from within a 100-kilometre radius.

Link to the publication

Photo: Matthew Crabbe/ZRS (Tierpark); Torsten Seidel (Feuerwache Neuseddin)