Treptowers
Genesis and architecture
The Treptowers complex consists of four buildings and is the result of an architectural competition held in 1993 and won by the architect Gerhard Spangenberg. The detailed planning and building was carried out by a partnership of architects Schweger and Reichel + Stauth from Brunswick. Roland Ernst joined Urban GmbH & Co. as project developer and overseer of construction. The final construction cost totalled 190 million Deutsche Marks.
The buildings were constructed on the site of a former electrical appliance factory complex, which was built in 1926 by AEG. After World War II, the plant was expropriated by VEB Elektro-Apparate-Werke Berlin-Treptow, a state-owned company in the German Democratic Republic, and production continued until 1995.
The buildings have a square floor plan with a steel and glass facade, though portions of each building have stone facades to create a unified architectural look with neighboring buildings. At 125 meters, Treptowers is the tallest office building in Berlin and the same height as the Park Inn.
The 30 meter high sculpture Molecule Men by Jonathan Borofsky was built in 1999 and sits in front of Treptowers in the River Spree. The sculpture's three figures represent the three Berlin districts of Treptow, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. Treptowers also houses a permanent exhibition of 500 works by contemporary artists.
The Federal Criminal Police Office has a branch inside the building.
In 2013, the complex was acquired by an investment company, supported by Japanese investors, for approximately €70,000,000.
See also
References
- ^ "Treptowers, Berlin". Gerhard Spangenberg. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ "Treptowers und Molecule Man". berlin.de (in German). Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Treptower Allianz Berlin" (in German). SAA Schweger Architekten. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016.
- ^ "Liste, Karte, Datenbank / Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt - Berlin" (in German). Denkmaldatenbank. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Molecule Men". visitBerlin. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ Ulrich, Paul (11 November 2013). "Immobilien in Berlin gefragt: Investoren vermehrt aus Asien" [Real estate demand in Berlin: Increased investors from Asia]. Berliner Zeitung (in German). ISSN 0947-174X. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.