Tempelhofer Ufer

The former SW 61 post office at Tempelhofer Ufer 1 in Berlin-Kreuzberg was built in 1900–1901 to a design by Hermann Struve. It is listed as a historic building. The central entrance hall served as the customer access point to the adjacent counter hall and has been redesigned several times. As part of the building’s conversion to accommodate large office units for discerning tenants, the hall was redesigned as a prestigious entrance area. The space-defining elements – the wide staircase and the ramp – have been retained, whilst the balustrade has been converted into a bench. A uniform use of cast stone brings these elements together. The walls were clad with corrugated Eternit panels up to the upper edge of the various wall and door recesses. Through this unusual use as wall cladding, the fibre cement elements develop a surprisingly tactile and visual quality, and the corrugation lends them a textile-like appearance.Indirect lighting, integrated into the upper edge of the cladding, further enhances the hall’s impressive appearance. Alongside cast stone and fibre-cement cladding, oak forms part of the minimalist material palette. It is used for seating and as a covering for the balustrade. Here, it also serves as a radiator cover. Furthermore, the postboxes and advertising sign holders were made from oak. The aim of the design is to create a restrained yet architecturally sophisticated spatial effect in the entrance hall, thereby significantly enhancing the prestige of the address Tempelhofer Ufer 1.