The sky above Berlin

… can be rediscovered from a special place starting tomorrow. Where the air traffic controllers of Tempelhof Airport used to do their duty, a spacious visitor terrace now offers an impressive view of the Tempelhofer Feld and the city skyline of Berlin. Tempelhof Projekt GmbH is launching the reopening of the THF Tower at the southern end of the old airport building with a kick-off activity weekend on 15/16 July. In addition to the panoramic view, visitors can look forward to the opening exhibition “Horizons. Flughafen Tempelhof 1990-2022” in the new visitor centre on the 6th floor. The fact that all tickets for this event are already sold out underlines the great interest of the residents of Berlin in the conversion of this important architectural monument. The structural and façade planners from Lüchinger+Meyer, who have been working alongside :mlzd since 2016 on the implementation of the successful competition design, are delighted about this. For the planners, dealing with a preservation project of this high standard and important historical context was both challenging and enriching.

Due to the structural safety deficits of the existing building – the natural stone façade conceals a filigree frame structure made of steel – the planned conversions required a variety of reinforcements of the existing supporting structures. The structural engineering heart of the project was the conversion of the main staircase. Here, the existing structure was not reinforced and repaired at great expense. Instead, a new stairway provides access to the building. Suspended by means of tie rods from a new support grid at roof level, the steel stairs “float” like a mobile above the existing structure – and set the scene for the coexistence of listed building and new construction in an exemplary manner.

All those who were left empty-handed when buying tickets for the opening will not have to wait long. The THF Tower will be open regularly from 20 July. We, too, will not miss out on a visit soon and are packing our bags for our trip to Berlin.

(Photos: Claudius Pflug / Tempelhof Projekt GmbH (Terrasse); :mlzd; Andreas Tschersich)