Haus der Statistik

Since 2008, 46,000 square metres of total floor space have stood empty in Berlin’s »House of Statistics«. The renovation of the building complex and the redesign of the façade aim to make the former East German building attractive again for a wide variety of usages. The &MICA contribution to the competition envisages »overwriting« the existing building and thereby retaining the traces of the past. The design adapts the historical façade elements, transposing these – in terms of materiality, proportion, colour and texture – into the present.

While all the façade elements of the two external structures lie on one plane, the balustrades of the middle structure become detached from the window plane. The space thereby created receives balconies, whose formal design references the original façade. Generously bedecked with plants, these merge with the offices inside, opening up the previously austere, closed-off view of the building. Additional usable space is created in an extension located in front. The ground floor, highly frequented by the public, thus receives a valuable depth of building of up to 28 metres. That enables flexible and vibrant utilisation plans for art and culture, as well as restaurants and shops.

On the roof surfaces of the extended ground floor, generous, heavily greenified terraces are planned, which in turn will break up the interior rooms outwards.

The open space on Otto-Braun-Straße, likewise to be redesigned, picks up the façade’s structure in visual terms. Small groups of trees and pavilions set tones and offer welcome stopping points for casual strollers.

The »House of Statistics« in Berlin was created around 1970 and forms the starting point of the Karl-Marx-Allee, the former showpiece boulevard of East Germany. Since 2008, 46,000 sq. metres of total floor space have stood empty.