Potsdamer Platz

The winning entry for the architectural competition formed the basis for Renzo Piano’s masterplan. It included a concept for use in the sense of a "European" urban development. As a key element of lively urban culture, the street was regarded as a public space; short distances and numerous different usage possibilities make the district attractive and create colorful street life. In order to guarantee variety also in the architecture, the architectural competition was launched with the stipulation that not only the first, but also other prize winners should be commissioned with the realization of individual buildings. Under the artistic leadership of Renzo Piano, six other architects’ offices were commissioned to plan buildings: Arata Isozaki (Tokyo), Christoph Kohlbecker (Gaggenau), Hans Kollhoff (Berlin), Ulrike Lauber and Wolfram Wöhr (Munich), José Rafael Moneo (Madrid) and Richard Rogers (London).
Renzo Piano prepared the so-called decalog, in which guidelines were laid down for the design of the buildings. The area was to have visual integrity. For the buildings’ facades, primarily terracotta, brick and sandstone were used, so that the buildings exude a warm and inviting atmosphere. Nearly all of the buildings have arcades at ground level. Sidewalks up to eight meters wide provide enough space for various outdoor events. The inclusion of the water area, the so-called "Piano Lake", has a positive impact on the area’s microclimate. In the phase of optimizing the planning, with regard to the usage ratios, a combination of offices, residential and commercial of 50:20:30 was agreed upon.