Sony Center, Berlin (Berlin, Germany) : View of the complex including 103 m tall office tower, looking southeast on Bellevuestrasse

Creator:

Jahn, Helmut, 1940-
Murphy Jahn, established 1981

Published/Created:

Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, Berlin, Germany
1993-2000

Physical Description:

212,500 m2 (area, site)

Date Depicted:

4/30/2009

Materials:

glass; steel; teflon-coated fabric

Notes:

A Sony-sponsored building complex located at the Potsdamer Platz, which after the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) presented a largely empty 60 hectares site; an attractive central location for development. Multiple mixed-use buildings share a central area covered by an enormous circular canopy structure, the "Forum". The complex includes the Forum, and a 103 metre tall, glass office tower; it also integrates the historic Emperor’s Hall (Kaisersaal) and parts of the former Hotel Esplanade. In 1996 the Emperor's Hall was translocated by the means of air cushions by 75 meters to today's location. Construction of the roof began in fall of 1998 and the completion lasted more than two years. At its highest point, the roof measures up to 67 meters above the Forum and has a free span of 102 meters length on the main axis and 77 meters length on the ancillary axis. The average translucence is at 50%. The textile sails consist of self-cleaning, teflon-coated fabric. More than 5,250 square meters are spanned. About 520 tons of steel were used for the ring beam and 100 tons for the king post. The impressive roof consists of 105 tons of safety glass, which is 16 mm thick and spans over 3,500 square meters.

Variant Titles:

Sony Center am Potsdamer Platz

Topics:

Architecture -- Germany -- 20th century -- (YVRC)
Architecture -- Germany -- 21st century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Twentieth century
Twenty-first century

Culture:

German

Accession Number:

1A2-G-B-SC-A02

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
condominiums (built works) (AAT)
mixed-use developments (AAT)
shopping arcades (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

buildings; condominiums (built works); complexes; mixed-use developments; complexes; shopping centers; shopping arcades

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Addition Module Eight

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
4/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2013; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4654

OID:

10901324

PID:

digcoll:1848313