Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus

Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders- and Paul-Löbe-Haus are part of the over all urban design concept for the new parliamentary and governmental buildings in Berlin, a sequence of buildings in the meander of the River Spree north of the Reichstag, that has come to be known as the "federal ribbon" due to its clear linear form.

The PaulLöbeHaus houses 900 offices for 170 members of the German parliament, 21 committee chambers and two restaurants. The MarieElisabethLüdersHaus houses 630 offices, the Bundestags Library, the Specialized Research Services, a committee chamber, the 'BerlinWall Memorial', an exhibition space and a small Gym. With its 1.3 million books it is the third biggest Governmental libery in the world. Both houses are eight stories high and have an over all length of 378 meters. The aim was to design an open and transparent building providing views from all offices but also allowing views into the building. This would enhance the visual image of an open and transparent parliament. From this framework, the design which emerged has a comblike configuration, set around threesided courtyards. At the point where the recurring sequence of the comblike structure is broken by the River Spree, a specific urban design response has been created: the Spreeplatz.

This is a square within the "federal ribbon" which is open to the public. Spanning the river between east and west, it links the once divided sectors of Berlin both visually and geographically and creates the framework for the various parliamentary functions. It has thus become the visual symbol of German unification. A strictly limited canon of surface materials provides a precious but plain appearance for the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus. Although too plain in appearance for some, the 'marble of the 21st century' in situ concrete was chosen not only for the massive parts of facades, but also for all interior columns and walls, completed by glass, coated metal, refined metal and stained Canadian maple wood. Floorings are made from greyish green stone or carpet, the illuminated glass floors are reserved for the elevators. Utilization: Library of the German Bundestag, Specialized Research Services