PROJECT DETAILS

Klaus Kirsten: Rotaprint Administration Building, 1957D–1958

  • Berlin, Germany, Show on map
  • #COM #Western Europe
  • In 1957, Klaus Kirsten was commissioned to design a modern street-front ensemble for the rapidly expanding Rotaprint company. Its highlight is the open corner tower at the corner of Gottschedstraße. Architectural plans from 1958 show the five-story building as a seven-story tower. For reasons unknown, construction on the building was halted in November 1958 and was never completed at a later date. Even the intended surface treatment was not applied; the concrete formwork surface is purely a result of the construction process and was not conceived as a design element. (Written by Daniela Brahm / ExRotaprint gGmbH)

  • The former Rotaprint premises were placed under strict heritage protection in 1991. Since 2007 the tenant led, non-profit company ExRotaprint  develops the complex. The buildings have been largely preserved in their original state and are gradually being renovated. Currently (2017–2018), the corner tower and the rear tower (the former carpentry and training workshop building) are being restored extensively in accordance with historic preservation requirements (last updated on December 20, 2017).