Zoofenster

The Zoofenster is a high-rise building in the Berlin district of Charlottenburg. It owes its name to the opposite Berlin Zoo.

History

The prominent location has a colorful history: An earlier version was 1999, the planning of the hotel concept Merchant Court with 310 rooms and an area of approximately 24,280 m². Merchant Court is a label of Raffles Holdings ( 1995) Pte. from Singapore, a representative of the luxury segment. In this approach, it should from the ground floor to the second floor retail space and be realized in the floors above the hotel offices and homes. As a Merchant Court Hotel Berlin has already been advertised in appropriate publications.

Preparatory work began in 2002. When the then main tenant, the Hilton hotel chain, withdrew from the contract, the work was stopped. There were only performed for leveling work, the orphaned land has since been covered by large giant posters.

In August 2007, found the current landowners, the Cologne-based real estate group Ebertz & Partners, a new investor who would build the house according to the existing plans. According to a report in the Rundfunk Berlin -Brandenburg is a mutual fund of the financially strong Harvest United Enterprises, based in Abu Dhabi.

In May 2008, the poster wall with the initial construction was started after disassembly. The 27-meter deep foundation was completed by early 2009. The official foundation stone was laid on 27 March 2009 to expand the building site of the northern and the bridge part of the adjacent Schimmelpfeng house were demolished in April 2009. ; so is also the long time Distorted View from the road to Kant Breitscheidplatz again.

After completion of the concreting works on the 32nd floor of the highrise building project in mid-October 2010 was structurally complete, the topping- out ceremony was held on October 22, 2010. The planned for fall 2012 opening had to be postponed because there were problems with loss of fire fighting equipment. Since early 2012, the hotel area of ​​the second- tallest building in the western part of Berlin was set up and trained the core of the workforce. The opening of the hotel Waldorf Astoria Berlin took place on 3 January 2013.

Location and architecture

The area of ​​the Zoofenster is framed by the square drive on the south, the Joachimstalerstraße in the west and the Hardenberg road to the north. The plot in the form of a triangle is slightly inclined towards the Hardenberg place with the Zoologischer Garten station in the north and with his somewhat blunted final tip to the Breitscheidplatz with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the East.

Was designed from the Zoofenster Frankfurt architect Christoph Mackler. Richard Rogers and beverage company Brau & Brunnen originally wanted to build a completely of glass high-rise building at the same location. Mäckler design with the surrounding stone buildings stressed, however, should adapt more and better color insert. The lower six floors - - now of the top and bottom to the adjacent buildings Furthermore, the socket -oriented.

Use

The building houses next to 30 percent of retail space on the lower floors mainly a hotel of the luxury Waldorf Astoria, offers 232 rooms. In the hotel there is also the newly established Roman cafe.