SPIE upgrades technical areas at Berlin’s Pergamon Museum

Berlin, 2 September 2021 – SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has been commissioned by the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) with the complex upgrade of all high-voltage systems (Lot 1), smoke extraction systems (Lot 3) and the IT networks (Lot 4) of the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. As a leading multi-technical service provider for buildings, facilities and infrastructure, SPIE offers tailored solutions for complex renovation from a single source. The Pergamon Museum is one of the largest and best-known museums in Germany, the centrepiece of the museum complex on Museum Island in the capital and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Work started in May this year and is expected to be completed by September 2024.

Professional implementation alongside day-to-day operations

As a multi-technical service provider, SPIE has been equipping safe, economical and sustainable buildings, facilities and infrastructure for many years – including the upgrade of the Pergamon Museum. The company is responsible for the renovation and repair of large parts of the technical facilities and infrastructure of the Pergamon Museum in Berlin from a single source. In order to be well positioned for the future, the building complex on the capital’s famous Museum Island is being completely modernised. The extensive complete overhaul of the Pergamon Museum is taking place during day-to-day operations.

Technical solutions for high voltage current areas and smoke extraction systems

Together with its experts from SPIE SAG, the multi-technical service provider is responsible for implementing the new high voltage current systems in Lot 1 and the smoke extraction systems in Lot 3. The scope of services includes supplying and installing three low-voltage main distribution boards and sub-distributors and installing a general and safety lighting system for the non-public parts of the building as well as a solar and lighting control system. In addition, the team is implementing comprehensive cable support systems, carrying out fire protection measures and installing facilities for uninterrupted power supply. “We are very proud that we are able to serve several lots at once with our technical expertise and our broad range of services,” says Matthias Richter, Head of the Energy Facility Construction department in the CityNetworks & Grids operational division at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa. “The work is very extensive and requires precise planning.” In the high voltage current area alone, SPIE is installing 11 facilities for uninterrupted power supply (UPS facilities). For security-relevant technology in the museum, 260 kilometres of cable, 20 kilometres of cable support systems, and around 2,000 general and safety lights are being installed. In addition, in the area of smoke extraction facilities, there are a further 40 kilometres of cables and lines, 37 smoke extraction facility control panels and 850 actuators for the windows.

State-of-the-art technology for the IT network

In another lot, SPIE is responsible for the full installation of the IT networks alongside its experts from SPIE Fleischhauer. This scope of services involves implementing the telecommunications facilities as well as supplying the museum with data and telecommunications connections as structured, universal and service-neutral building cabling and connecting the facility technology to the existing structure of Museum Island. This includes both the passive infrastructure, such as the laying of around 300 kilometres of copper and fibre optic cables with corresponding connection components, and the active technology for implementing complex network systems. “For this, we are erecting and installing around 15 data cabinets, 100 patch panels, 1,000 connection boxes, 30 access switches and 100 IP end devices to ensure flawless supply to the building complex – just to give you a glimpse of the scope of the project,” reports Dan Fischer, Branch Manager in Berlin in the Information & Communication Services operational division at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa. “As a multi-technical service provider, we can offer our customer the passive as well as active technical equipment from a single source. We also benefit from a long-standing and good partnership with Cisco,” continues Dan Fischer.

Technical installations under monument protection requirements

The historical structure of the building as well as the high requirements due to the monument protection status are particular challenges for our teams. “What is important here is, of course, minimal damage to the structure due to chiselling or chasing work. This requires detailed planning and analysis prior to the work as well as conscientious execution,” says Matthias Richter.

In addition, SPIE’s teams also have to be aware of the high requirements for fire protection as well as the integration of safety-relevant facilities into the overall concept of Museum Island.

Long-standing partnership strengthens basis of trust

SPIE and the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning already have several years of successful cooperation working on many different projects. “We have been working on Museum Island for a long period of time on various larger and smaller projects. We have been providing the Humboldt Forum project in the Berlin Palace with site electricity and site illumination for around ten years now, and it was extended for a further four years last year with a complete modification of the facility,” explains Matthias Richter. “We are very proud that the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning has once again entrusted us and that we are able to contribute to the upgrade of the protected Pergamon Museum,” concludes Dan Fischer.