Am Zirkus - Residential, Office and Hotel Building

Berlin, Germany

Visualization © Eike Becker

Picture © Eike Becker

Photo © Jens Willebrand

Drawing © Eike Becker

Photo © Jens Willebrand

Architects: Eike Becker Architekten

Location: Schiffbauerdamm, Bertolt-Brecht-Platz, Am Zirkus, Berlin, Germany
Year: 2016
Client: Peach Property Group, Deutsche Immobilien AG
Auftragsart: Realisierungswettbewerb, 1. Preis
Projektteam: Eike Becker_Architekten
Fachplaner: Ebert Ingenieure Berlin GmbH, Ebert Ingenieure Gera GmbH, Ebert Ingenieure Leipzig GmbH (Haustechnik), Neudahm Hotel Interior Design GmbH (Innenarchitektur Hotel), ST raum a Gesellschaft von Landschaftsarchitekten mbH (Außenanlage), Wetzel & von Seht GbR
Bruttogeschossfläche oberirdisch: 32887 qm
Bruttogeschossfläche unterirdisch: 4738 qm
Bruttorauminhalt oberirdisch: 104207 kbm
Baukosten: 55 Mio. Euro
Literatur: Berliner Morgenpost, 21. August 2008, S. 13; Berliner Morgenpost, 17. Oktober 2008, S. 13; Berliner Zeitung, 15. August 2008, S. 21; Immobilienwirtschaft, H. 3/2009, S. 74

To the left stands the Berliner Ensemble theater, to the right the Weidendammer Bridge, and in front Schiffbauerdamm and the Spree River. Within this expansive, open space the building - stretching southeast–northwest and with a width of approximately fifty-five and depth of some
eighty-two meters - occupies a solitary, arresting position. Not only is the property a prime location, but it also has an interesting history. On this very site stood the Grosses Schauspielhaus (great theater), designed by Hans Poelzig and headed by Max Reinhardt, which remained standing until the late eighties, when it was demolished.

Due to the doubled four-wing layout of the structure with two internal courtyards and the staggering of the top four of ten floors above ground level, the building bears a certain similarity in shape and volume to Hamburg’s so-called Kontorhäuser, early twentieth-century office buildings. However, the solid, block-like appearance of these forerunners is altered through façades that are more akin to an airy, light, and even crystalline architecture.

Somewhat hidden by the trees on Bertolt-Brecht-Platz, the front of the building is symmetrically balanced. In other words, this main façade is divided into three parts: a broader central section and two narrower side sections. The vertical windows, each divided into separate fields by three to six printed glass panels, are horizontally framed by a light-colored aluminum.

Just under half of the approximately 33,000 square meters of gross floor area is dedicated to eighty-seven apartments, the interiors of which have been designed by a team led by French designer Philippe Starck. A hotel with a good 300 rooms occupies another third of the floor area. The rest of the space is reserved for offices and shops. All the apartments are situated in the quieter northwestern section of the building, and all of the offices in the less tranquil southeastern section.