Berlin: Haus Metallarbeiterverband

1929 – 1930

Architects: Erich Mendelsohn, Rudolf W. Reichel

Alte Jakobstrasse, Lindenstraße 1, 148-149, Berlin, Gernany

The house of the German Metalworkers’ Association in Berlin, Germany, was built from 1929 to 1930 to plans by architects Erich Mendelsohn and Rudolf Reichel.

Erected as a reinforced concrete skeleton construction the building consists of two side wings, which open at an acute angle into a much higher concave curved head structure.

Offices

The offices are housed in the four-story wings of the building, connected by a single-story transverse building, which originally housed a print shop.

The head building contained the meeting rooms and the rooms of the board of directors. A large meeting room is additionally accentuated by a semicircular glazed bay window with flagpole.

Materials

Materials such as bronze and travertine underline the importance of the head building.

Staircase

Between the entrance hall and the inner courtyard there lies a round staircase, which is glazed on one side over all floors.

The staircase is adorned by a rod-shaped lamp designed by Erich Mendelsohn, a reproduction of the original lighting fixture.

Renovation and Restoration

The house almost completely burned down in 1945. It was rebuilt as early as 1952.

From 1994 to 1997 it was renovated according to old construction plans under the advice of Julius Posener, Mendelsohn’s then still living site manager.

Today the building is used by the IG Metall trade union and the Berlin Chamber of Architects.