Deutscher Bundestag Luisenblock Ost I, Berlin (DE)
New building, Building in existing structures

Client: Federal Republic of Germany, Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning
Location: D-10117 Berlin, Luisenstraße 31
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller
Competition: 2024, 2. prize
Area: approx. 66,000 m²
Programme: Offices for the Bundestag with meeting rooms, catering, magazines, logistics areas with delivery zones, a central postal goods X-ray station and a computer centre

Visualisation: Dietrich Untertrifaller

Team
Fredi Botz, Jacqueline Horn, Theodor Lucquet, Sandra Sulzer, Andreas Miorini, Elmir Smajic, Livia Plaumann, Lucia Herz

Text: Gerlinde Jüttner

Partners
Statics: Merz Kley Partner, Dornbirn
Building services: HL-Technik Engineering, Munich
Façade: KUB Fassadentechnik, Schwarzach
Light: Kardorff Ingenieure, Berlin
Fire protection: Kersken + Kirchner, Munich
Landscape: Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl, Überlingen

Continuing the bond of the federation

Luisenblock Ost is located in the development area "Capital Berlin – Parliament and government district" and in the extension of the so-called "bond of the federation". After years of planning without results, Luisenblock Ost (LBO) is now to be reorganised. To this end, the neighbourhood has been divided into two areas, LBO I and LBO II.

In the LBO1, we divided the complex spatial programme into two buildings in a convincing design manner: Offices for the Bundestag with meeting rooms, catering facilities, magazines, logistics areas with delivery zones and a computer centre. The buildings fulfil special requirements for sustainable, climate-neutral and resource-efficient construction. They are planned according to the low-tech principle, with robust, low-maintenance and simple structural solutions.

A new public square with a restaurant in front of the historic boiler house forms the centrepiece of the design. The connecting plinth of the new buildings matches the existing "bond of the federation" in terms of materials and lines. T

The facades of the upper floors made of wood and Berlin recycled bricks blend harmoniously into the existing ensemble.

A striking head building in the south

The striking head-end building on the banks of the Spree is clearly recognisable as a parliamentary and administrative building. Upon entering, the view opens up into the round, green inner courtyard, which brings daylight into the entrance area. The stacked conference rooms facing the inner courtyard adjoin the foyer. The office rooms are arranged in a ribbon shape on the outer façades and thus offer beautiful views over the city.

The office wing in the North

An office wing closes off the block to the city railway line in the north. We countered the high construction costs with a very economically designed, compact timber structure. The façade made of recycled bricks takes up the materiality of the historic brownstone industrial buildings and combines the existing and new buildings into an ensemble.

The efficient floor plans and compact buildings enable a sustainable, efficient ratio of usable space to floor area. This minimises the amount of sealed surfaces despite the space requirements.

Circular design

The recyclable building consists of simple structures that can be separated and dismantled, making it possible to replace and reuse components. The core of the timber hybrid – the inner courtyard, circular air spaces and large halls – is a solid construction, while the surrounding office strip is designed in timber. The enclosing office clasp is constructed from recurring, similar, prefabricated timber elements. For the brick façades, we use recycled bricks from Berlin.

Within the foyer, a representative, wooden spiral staircase extends across all floors.

Site plan
Floor plan L0
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