Ebertplatz

Republic Square

The Platz der Republik sees itself as a reaction of garden architecture and green planning to the urban figure of the new government buildings in interaction with the Reichstag building in the Spreebogen zu Berlin. The area presents itself as an open, green square that accompanies the new urban structure created by the federal buildings and juxtaposes it with the landscaped space of the Tiergarten.
A simple, yet representative space in the area of tension between the buildings of the ribbon of the federal government and the Tiergarten.
Towards the House of World Cultures, the groups of trees become denser, leaving a strictly defined clearing.
The lawns of the Republic Square, in their level position of the relief, stand in a desired contrast to the landscaped solitary tree plantings, under which a slight modelling of the relief is envisaged.
Formally strictly cut hedge bosquets take up the dimensions of the Reichstag building and reproduce them on the surface of the square, striving towards the House of World Cultures.
In parallel lines to the bosketts, the landscaped groups of solitary trees are intersected by three visual axes referring to the parliament building.
Immediately in front of the west entrance and the staircase of the Reichstag is a plaza that is used for ceremonial occasions. In the connection to the street spaces are generous promenade surfaces with Tennenbelag.
In the night the place plant presents itself sparingly illuminated. The attention is directed to the illuminated buildings. Within the green spaces, only the hedge boskets are illuminated on all sides.

Harbour Square

The harbour square is located at the foot of the Spree steps. The direct proximity to the water with the existing jetty gives it a strong charisma and attraction that promises development potential. Urban, international life in the environment of the Chancellery and the House of World Cultures takes place here.
While in principle retaining the existing level of the harbor square, the site rises to the existing level of Paul-Löbe-Allee via the Spree steps, which are crisscrossed by bands of block steps made of granite.
Tree islands, bordered by seating and retaining walls that protect the existing stock of old trees, rise in an organic-sculptural form from the strict framework of the staircase of the Spree steps.
With the aim of providing an outstanding restoration area in the government quarter (Chancellery) and in the vicinity of the House of World Cultures, a combination pavilion is being erected as a new service station. Constructively, this is based on a standardized post-and-beam construction in system design with colored glass panes. The long and roof sides are surrounded by a "paravent" made of durable wooden lathing. The integrated lighting concept provides for iridescent, restrained coloured lighting emanating from the interior.

Bettina-von-Arnim-Ufer

Forum and Federal Chancellery

Between the Federal Chancellery and the House of Parliamentarians, the Citizens' Forum extends as a freely structured square with groves of trees and a staged water feature. The horticultural interim solution at the square of the unfinished Citizens' Forum as part of the urban design for the Ribbon of the Federation by Axel Schultes and Charlotte Frank envisages a freely structured square with water walls rising rhythmically every day at certain times. Continuing the structural edges of the buildings, red maple forms elongated, loose groves under which benches invite visitors to rest.

Wall Crosses

The areas along the Spree are especially assigned to the future stay of the visitors of the government quarter in the context of the parliamentary tours and the associated use of the Ebertplatz and designed accordingly. In the course of marking the "former Wall strip" and commemorating the victims of the Wall in its true-to-location location, the "wall crosses" become part of the Spree embankment. In this way, the design creates a dignified, yet spatially restrained place on the elevation overlooking the Spree to commemorate the victims of the Wall.

Floating stones

The concept of "floating stones" proposed by Lützow 7 was artistically implemented in the surface treatment in collaboration with the sculptor Raphael Beil. The design and formulation of the seating stones and the floor mosaic on the north-eastern side of Ebertplatz also correspond to this collaboration. An association with the collaboration of Cornelia Müller, Jan Wehberg and Raphael Beil on the outdoor facilities of the Jewish Museum is also worth knowing in this context.
The two-by-two-meter surfaces of the 30 granite stones are sculpturally worked; the surface intensifies in relief from stone to stone in the direction of the adjacent Spree River and refers in free form to the movements of the water. The stones delimit the square behind the Reichstag from the outside. With a height of 40 cm, they serve as seating stones, offering visitors opportunities to linger. Due to the 13 cm gap between the floor slabs and the stones, into which a light construction has been inserted, the square is illuminated from "inside" at night. Thus, in the evening, one gets the impression that the stones are floating on the light.

Bauphase 2001

In correspondence to the "floating stones", this collaboration of Cornelia Müller, Jan Wehberg and Raphael Beil also includes the design and formulation of the seating stones and the floor mosaic on the north-eastern side of the Ebertplatz, consisting of four seating stones and nine ground-level mosaic slabs made of Silesian granite.

Spree stairs

A generous staircase along the Spree overcomes the height difference from the level of the square to the level of the Spreeuferwanderweg or Spreeplatz as part of the plans within the framework of the ribbon of the federal government. In the area of the transition to the Spree riverbank promenade at the garden of the Reichstag President's Palace, there is an area of special design with seating elements under the roof of the large tree plantings in an exposed position. The areas along the Spree are especially assigned to the stay of the visitors of the government quarter in the context of the parliament tours and the associated use of the Ebertplatz and are designed accordingly. In the course of marking the "former Wall strip" in its true-to-location position, a place for the permanent installation of the "Wall crosses" was considered in the area of the staircase. In this area, the design uses the height projection towards the Spree to make the marking of the Wall strip three-dimensional, as it were, in order to do justice to the memory of the Wall victims.

back to overview

1. Republic Square
2. Harbour Square
3. Bettina-von-Arnim-Ufer
4. Forum and Federal Chancellery
5. Wall Crosses
6. Floating stones
7. Bauphase 2001
8. Spree stairs