Berlin: Reichsknappschaftshaus

1929 – 1930

Architects: Max Taut, Franz Hoffmann

Breitenbachplatz 2, Rüdesheimer Strasse 54-56, Binger Strasse 50, Berlin, Germany

Building

The listed administration building, designed in the New Objectivity style, was completed between 1929 and 1930 by Max Taut and Franz Hoffmann for the Reichsknappschaft (now Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft Bahn) in Berlin. It is a three-story steel skeleton structure.

The steel skeleton is visible through the ceramic panels on the façade, which are arranged horizontally and vertically. The spaces between the panels are filled with clinker bricks and windows.

While his brother, Bruno Taut, focused on social housing in Berlin and experimented with color theory, Max Taut accepted commissions for administrative and office buildings with Franz Hoffmann.

Design

The Taut brothers were particularly interested in new material combinations and the effect of surface structures on interior and exterior spaces.

The main strength of all buildings designed by the Taut brothers is their high standards of functionality and design quality.

Daylight dominates the interior of the building, entering the rooms through large windows, glazed partitions, doors, and skylights.

Accents in black, red, and blue are set by skirting boards, door frames, stair railings, and stringers, which are further emphasized by various materials.

Today, the building houses the Latin America Institute of the Free University of Berlin.