Present StateOn January 26, 2012, a press briefing on the results of the planning competition was held at the ESMT in Berlin.
Attendees were besides the representative of the press the authors of the 4 awarded projects, Regula Lüscher, Senate Building Director Berlin, Dr. Martin Grimm, Managing Director of ThyssenKrupp Real Estate GmbH, Prof. Ulrike Lauber, chairperson of the jury plus further representatives of the sponsor and the jury.


PromoterThyssenKrupp AG
ThyssenKrupp Allee 1
45143 Essen

represented by
ThyssenKrupp Real Estate GmbH
Dr. Martin Grimm
Chairman of the Management Board
TaskThe “ThyssenKrupp House” is to accommodate, on up to 5,000 sq m of gross floor area, various functions which a communicative architecture should integrate so as to form an open-house building.
• ThyssenKrupp will use the building for representational and administrative purposes
• Institutions and firms from the technology sector will be invited to interdisciplinary cooperation
• The expert community and interested members of the general public will be drawn by special attractions
•Guests and casual visitors will be greeted and invited to stay in a premium ambiance
Constituting a part of ThyssenKrupp’s societal commitment, the new building’s design and concept of use must be commensurate to the importance of the site.
SiteThe project site is located in the historic city center, on a Spree river island in the district of Berlin-Mitte. At present, it is public street land that within the framework of planning the repair of the urban layout has been declared a construction lot. Its situation on the future reconstructed Schlossplatz is unique and a matter of public importance. Transcending by far the function of spatial closure of the square, it constitutes both an obligation and a challenge.
Marked by a checkered history, the site is a symbol of the past, the present and the future alike. Once Berlin’s vibrant historic center, in the more recent past this then rather inhospitable place was associated with the power center of the former GDR. Since then, it has been a stagnant void. The Humboldt Forum, the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) housed in the State Council building, and Schinkel’s Building Academy provide this neighborhood with the potential to attain a new, dynamic identity. Situated in stimulating proximity to numerous institutions and buildings of world renown, the Schlossplatz will constitute a distinctive new element within the urban fabric.

For site plans and photos of the lot, please click on 'Information'.
ProcedureThe competition was organized as a restrictedly open project competition run in two phases where phase 2 has been conducted cooperatively with prior pre-qualification procedure as per the German “guidelines for project competitions” (RPW 2008) § 3 par. 2, 3 and 4. In phase 1, the procedure was anonymous.
The language to be used in the competition documents was German, albeit the competition brief brochure and the minutes were made available in English. However, in case of discrepancy between the German and the English version of the present document, the German version shall prevail.
Notwithstanding the pertinent RPW regulations, the competitors’ anonymity was waived for the working period in Phase 2 so as to allow for a dialogue between the jury and the competitors. Within the framework of the 2-day participants’ colloquium, each competitor presented to the jury an intermediate stage of their design, and there was held discussions involving all participants.
CompetitorsAll in all, 30 architects or design groups or consortia formed of architects had been admitted to participation in the competition.
The architects of the following five practices had been selected beforehand for participation in the competition and have declared, in a legally binding manner, their intent to participate in the tackling of the competition task.

• Adjaye/Associates, London/UK
• Chaix & Morel, Paris/FR with JSWD, Köln/DE
• Degelo Architects, Basel/CH
• Kaspar Kraemer Architects, Cologne/DE
• Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB, Gothenburg/SE

Among the 30 participants in phase 1 of the competition, the jury selected 7 for participation in phase 2.
PrizesThe promoter has provided the net amount of 154,000 Euro for fees and prizes for services rendered. Every participant in Phase 2 received a flat-rate fee of Euro 16,000 in respect of expenses incurred. In addition, the following prizes have been awarded:

1. prize: 17.000,- Euro Schweger & Partner Architects, Hamburg
2. prize: 13.000,- Euro Chaix & Morel, Paris with JSWD, Cologne
2. prize: 13.000,- Euro Grüntuch Ernst, Berlin
2. prize: 13.000,- Euro Kaspar Kraemer Architects, Cologne
JuryThe evaluation of the design concepts, including the selection of the prizewinners, shall be conducted by the jury, which will be composed of the persons listed below.

Jurors
Mels Crouwel, Architect, Amsterdam
Prof. Dietrich Fink, Architect, Munich
Prof. Ulrike Lauber, Architect, Berlin/Munich
Prof. Manuel Scholl, Architect, Zurich
Dr. Jürgen Claassen, Executive Board Member of ThyssenKrupp AG, Essen
Ralph Labonte, Executive Board Member of ThyssenKrupp AG, Essen
Regula Lüscher, Senate Building Director for Urban Development, Architect, Berlin
Dr. Martin Grimm, Managing Director of ThyssenKrupp Real Estate GmbH, Essen
Ephraim Gothe, Council Chairman for Urban Development, District of Mitte, Berlin

Deputy Jurors
Jakob Dunkl, Architect, Vienna
Prof. Marina Stankovic, Architect, Berlin
Frank Heekerens, Managing Director of ThyssenKrupp Real Estate GmbH, Essen
Barbara Scholten, Corporate Communication, ThyssenKrupp AG, Essen
Annalie Schoen, Senate Department for Urban Development Berlin
Kristina Laduch, District of Mitte, Berlin

Technical Experts
Prof. Dr. Jörg Haspel, Director Berlin Monument Authority
Norbert Habedank, Facility Management, ThyssenKrupp Real Estate GmbH, Essen
Karin Irmscher, Transportation Planning, Senate Department for Urban Development Berlin, Unit VII B
Dr. Rainer Jaspers, Ökotec Fire & Risk, Schwalmtal
Horst-Dieter Kreutz, KonTec building envelope consultants, Dormagen
Andreas Kniewel, Infrastructural Aspects, DSK Deutsche Stadt- und Grundstücksentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (fiduciary company charged with urban-development planning of the City of Berlin)
Prof. Dr. Hansjürg Leibundgut, Building Services Engineering, Sustainability, Façade Design, ETH Zürich
Günter Ludecki, Berlin Mitte District Authority, Department for Urban Development, Office for Planning and Permits
Ellen Mickley, Planning Law, Senate Department for Urban Development , Unit II B 13
Michael Ricken, Functions and Costs, ThyssenKrupp Real Estate GmbH, Essen
Peter Tiedt, Liegenschaftsfonds Berlin
Dr. Dagmar Tille, Head Supreme Monuments Preservation Office
Competition ManagementThe coordination and conduct of the competition is being assured by the practice [phase eins]. Eichelmann Hossbach Lehmhaus, Berlin (www.phase1.de).
Inquiries as to this project please address to
thyssenkrupp-berlin@phase1.de.
Schedule
Participant selectionMay 24, 2011
Jury colloquiumMay 25, 2011
Preliminary information/download of competition materialsJune 8, 2011
Online forum 1st phaseJune 8 to 22, 2011
Distribution of competition materialsJune 16, 2011
Participants’ colloquium 1st phase (in Berlin)June 16, 2011
Submission of required documents 1st phaseJuly 28, 2011
Jury meeting 1st phaseAugust 24, 2011
Distribution of competition materials 2nd phaseSeptember 5, 2011
Online forum 2nd phaseSeptember 5 to 19, 2011
Participants’ colloquium 2nd phase (in Essen)September 22 and 23, 2011
Submission of required documents 2nd phaseOctober 27, 2011
Jury meeting 2nd phaseNovember 28, 2011
ExhibitionJanuary 26 to February 11, 2012