Ministry of the Interior in Berlin by Müller Reimann Architects

Currently, the German Ministry of the Interior is located in three different places in Berlin, which should change soon. In mid-December, the rough construction of the new headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior was completed in the Berlin district of Moabit by the office Müller Reimann Architekten, which also built the building for the German Foreign Office ten years ago. Thomas Müller and Ivan Reimann approached the project for the Ministry of the Interior three years ago when they won the architectural competition together with Zurich landscape architects Vogt Landschaftsarchitekten.
The plot for the ministry is located between Lüneburger Strasse and Ingebrog Drewitz Allee, directly adjacent to the government quarter, the zoo, and the main train station. The site, lying between the railway body and the landing area for the Chancellor's Office helicopters, has so far served as a parking lot and for hosting social events. The architects dealt with the challenging plot by placing three differently high intertwined volumes shaped like a Z. The ministerial building will house 1,350 employees. The dynamic stepping of the ministry's mass allows for better adjustment to the irregularities of the site. The stepping of the mass and the resulting courtyards respond in scale to the surrounding development. The mass of the ministry rises from the street Alt-Moabit towards Ingebrog-Drewitz-Allee, stepping up from five to nine floors. In front of the entrance to the ministry, a small square will be created, with an entrance courtyard in the foyer, elegant paths in the courtyards, generous staircases, skylights, and landscaping. The travertine facade is unified by a calm window grid that ensures very good lighting and a flexible office layout.