A statement for a new way of building

Designed by Helmut Jahn, the Deutsche Post Tower in Bonn is located in a public park adjacent to the Rhine River. The building embodies the ideals of transparency, weightlessness, and immateriality.

The new headquarters of Deutsche Post World Net in Bonn combine the effectiveness of a lightweight steel structure with the beauty and versatility of glass architecture. The architects of the project refer to this as 'a statement for a new way of building'. Glass was central to the building's design, with over 47 different variations of Pilkington Optiwhite™ glass used in its construction to create a striking effect.

Despite being a 163.5-metre-high double tower, the Post Tower in Bonn blends into its surroundings, acting as a gateway from the city to the Rhine and the nearby Siebengebirge hills. This remarkable feat is achieved thanks to the building's 'shell' façade, which is made entirely of Pilkington Optiwhite™ glass and was designed by architect Helmut Jahn, as well as its unusual 'transparent' structure of high-tensile stainless steel, which was designed by Professor Werner Sobek.

The double-walled shell structure of the two towers is a considerable engineering achievement. One façade comprises storey-high elements and forms the exterior of the office floors. This is the ‘primary façade’. An outer shell (or secondary façade) protects against wind, rain and noise. While the white glass panels on the northern side of the structure are aligned vertically, those on the southern side are mounted in a convex arrangement to promote better airflow and natural ventilation all year round. The support framework of the building – working in conjunction with the glass – is designed to be almost invisible.

The structural elements have been minimised, with the framework consisting mainly of filigree, hot-rolled and extruded stainless steel profiles that have been assembled to form nine-storey compartments.

All the glass elements of the building were constructed from Pilkington Optiwhite™, a low-iron-oxide white glass chosen by the project’s architects for its clean, colourless qualities, versatility, and ecological benefits.

Glass design engineers BGT Bischoff Glastechnik used Pilkington Optiwhite™ to manufacture 47 different types of functional glass, each with a structure that met the specific requirements of its respective section of the building. These included thermally coated and gas-filled units for façade panels, sound-reduction glass for internal partitions, solar-protection coatings for overhead glazing, and fire-resistant glass for the stairwells.

This functional glazing also contributes significantly to the building's eco-balance, reducing typical energy consumption by around a third.

Deutsche Post World Net views the new building as 'an outstanding feature of its new communication platform' and sees its extensive use of glass as symbolising openness, both inside and out. The building was also designed to have an international impact, reflecting the organisation's increasingly global profile.