Budapester Straße Berlin

In the middle of Berlin’s City West, at Olof-Palme-Platz with the elephant gate of the Zoologischer Garten, the striking red rotunda of the former headquarters of the Berliner Volksbank is replaced by a contemporary office tower with an extensive urban presence. The new sculptural structure marks the exposed street corner at the intersection of the curved Budapester Str., Kurfürstenstr. and Nürnberger Str. Due to its polygonal basic shape, the building creates a different impression depending on its location and viewing angle: Coming from the west, it is very present in its entire width, while coming from Nürnberger Str. it is narrowly visible from the side. The irregular octagon fits perfectly into the unusual site layout and creates clear urban edges. It crowns a Berlin block, emerging as a striking high point. The sloping roof edges reflect the crystalline ground plan motif. The multi-layered plasticity of the façade with its slightly inclined levels – like a pleated fabric – lends depth to the building envelope. The exposed new skyscraper in the City West extends the urban life of the Breitscheidplatz and marks the transformation of the urban space visible from afar.