Saxon Development Bank (SAB), Leipzig

Object Type

Client
Sächsische Aufbaubank - Förderbank, Dresden

Architect
Entwurf: acme, London
LP 5 — 9: baukonsult-knabe Architekten-Ingenieure-Gesamtplaner GmbH, Erfurt

Completion
2021

Expertises
Thermal Insulation & Energy Performance Calculation
Building Acoustics
Room Acoustics
Fire Protection

The Saxon Development Bank (Sächsische Aufbaubank, SAB), comprising approximately 500 employees, has relocated from Dresden to its new premises at Gerberstraße 5, close to Leipzig’s city center. The newly constructed building complex is particularly striking for its “forest of columns” in the publicly accessible forecourt of the forum. Rising to a height of 22 meters, 159 columns extend along the roof edge. The ground floor features consultation areas in the entrance foyer, a conference area with catering facilities, a bistro-style cafeteria, and an auditorium with seating for 263 people. In addition to single and double offices, the upper floors offer open-plan office spaces and an extensive archive. The building includes a full basement and an underground car park.

A particular challenge lay in the fire protection planning for the six-story office and administrative building, which includes a two-story auditorium, an underground car park with 172 parking spaces, and a publicly accessible outdoor event area. Fire escape routes, smoke compartments, and firefighting measures had to be precisely coordinated. These requirements were addressed by installing fire-resistant partition walls between office and garage areas, an automatic fire alarm system with direct connection to the fire brigade, and mechanical smoke extraction for the auditorium. Given the building's scale, exemptions in accordance with the Saxon Building Code (SächsBO) were requested—particularly with regard to the permissible lengths of fire compartments, escape route distances within the garage, and the open design of the auditorium access. These deviations were compensated through customized protective measures.

Image Copyright
1 Strohhut Pictures
2 Strohhut Pictures
3 Strohhut Pictures
4 Strohhut Pictures