“HEGO Höfe shows that BIPV can be both ecological and expressive, reducing energy demand and communicating with a forward-looking attitude at the same time.”
About the project
HEGO Höfe started with an architectural ambition: transform a former industrial site into a lively mixed-use destination. Something that supports culture, urban life and sustainability, rather than feeling like a leftover piece of infrastructure. Architect Hagen Plaehn approached the façade as the building’s identity: it had to define the project visually and perform technically.
That is why BIPV became central to the concept. Instead of treating photovoltaics as an add-on, the façade itself became a power-generating surface, turning a previously passive elevation into an active envelope. The choice for glass-integrated PV supported a refined, contemporary material language: sleek, architectural, and coherent in changing daylight conditions, while generating renewable electricity directly on the building.
In numbers, the façade is substantial: roughly 1,266 m² with 328 Pixasolar PV modules, designed for an estimated annual yield of around 70,000 kWh. But Hagen’s main point isn’t the kWh by itself, it’s how the facades read as architecture. The goal was a façade that feels deliberate and unified, not like a patchwork of technical components. To achieve that, the module layout was designed with strong attention to rhythm and proportion, aligned to existing structural lines so the PV grid looks native to the building rather than imposed on it.
Material and detailing decisions played a big role too: selecting glass-based PV panels that harmonize with adjacent façade elements, controlling reflections, and fine-tuning edges and alignments, so the surface feels calm and high-quality. Just as important was the transition between active PV zones and other components, signage, cladding, and non-active areas, so the overall façade remains visually continuous instead of fragmented.
About the collaboration with Pixasolar
Hagen describes the collaboration with Pixasolar as constructive and truly iterative. The value started early-on in the process. Technical feedback on panel options, formats, finishes and performance expectations helped shape the façade concept while there was still design freedom. As the project moved forward, regular coordination sessions supported the detailed work, optimizing module arrangement, integrating mounting and electrical requirements, and ensuring architectural intent survived the inevitable technical constraints.
Hagen: “What stood out in practice was Pixasolar’s flexibility: the ability to adapt module sizes and glass finishes meant the PV could be integrated without compromising architectural quality. That made it possible to keep the façade architect-led, while still delivering something robust, manufacturable and predictable on site. From specification to fabrication and delivery, the process was tightly managed, important in any façade project, and especially in BIPV where tolerances and visual consistency matter.”
“HEGO Höfe shows that BIPV can be both ecological and expressive, reducing energy demand and communicating with a forward-looking attitude at the same time. And when the right partners are involved early, the result doesn’t look like technology applied to architecture. It looks like architecture that happens to generate energy.”