Licht Kunst Licht AG
Government Projects

The Federal Foreign Office

Berlin, Germany
Architects
Müller Reimann Architekten GmbH, Berlin
Client
Federal Republic of Germany represented by the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung)
Occupant
Federal Foreign Office
Project size
50,800 sqm
Photos
Lukas Roth
Completion
1999
Overall building budget
92 million euros

The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin

Located on Werderscher Markt, the new building, together with the former Reichsbank, forms the new headquarters of the Foreign Office in Berlin and provides space for approximately 770 employees in around 700 offices. Through the sculptural division of the large block into smaller sub-volumes, the clearly structured sandstone building blends into the small-scale urban environment. The incised courtyards – atrium, reception courtyard and city loggia – were conceived as urban spaces that give each workplace its own place, a spatial identity and a special relationship to the city. At the same time, a spatial connection is created between the ministry and the city.

The cube opens to the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche with a large atrium, which as an urban square is a place for visitors, tourists, meeting and information exchange. Here mimosa trees line a stepped water feature, there is a public café, a teahouse, sales stores and the passport office. The powerful, directional light from spotlights, which are integrated into the roof structure as clusters, gently charges the volume with light and creates a prestigious atmosphere and a high quality of sojourn.

Light from the adjacent offices enters the courtyard through the large windows. This gives the space the impression of depth, transparency and openness.