Sony Center

Coordinates : 52°30′36″N 13°22′25″E  /  52.51000°N 13.37361°E  / 52.51000; 13.37361
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For the Sony Centre stores in Europe, see Sony Centre . For performing arts venue/theater in Toronto, see Sony Centre for the Performing Arts .

The Center Potsdamer Platz
Sony Center
The Center Potsdamer Platz, formerly known as Sony Center displays a " cyberpunk corporate urban (futuristic)" aesthetic. [1]
Map
General information
Town or city Berlin
Country Germany
Groundbreaking 1995
Construction started 1995
Completed 1998
Opened 14 June 2000 ; 23 years ago  ( 2000-06-14 )
Design and construction
Architect(s) Helmut Jahn
Peter Walker (landscape architect)
Architecture firm PWP Landscape Architecture
Engineer Jaros, Baum & Bolles (MEP)
Structural engineer Ove Arup & Partners
Other designers Waagner-Biro
Website
www .das-center-am-potsdamer-platz .de /en

The Center Potsdamer Platz , known as Sony Center until March 2023, is a complex of eight buildings located at the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin , Germany, designed by Helmut Jahn . It opened in 2000 and houses Sony's German headquarters. The cinemas in the center were closed at the end of 2019.

History [ edit ]

See also: Potsdamer Platz

In the early 20th century, the site was originally home to Berlin's bustling city center . During World War II , it was the location of the infamous Nazi People's Court . Most of the buildings in its vicinity were destroyed or damaged during World War II . From 1961 onwards, most of the area became part of the "No Man's Land" of the Berlin Wall , resulting in the destruction of the remaining buildings. After the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989, the square became the focus of attention again, as a large (some 60 ha (150 acres)), attractive location in the heart of a major European capital city had suddenly become available.

As part of a redevelopment effort for the area, the space was to be developed. In 1992, Sony acquired the 30,000-square-meter (320,000 sq ft) site from the Berlin city government for 97.2 million German marks, about US$61.6 million. Shortly after, the European Commission briefly investigated whether Sony paid less than the market price. [2] Over the following years, a total of eight buildings [3] were designed by Helmut Jahn [4] and Peter Walker as landscape architect, and construction was completed in 2000 at a total cost of 750 million euros.

The iconic 4,000 m 2 (43,000 sq ft) vaulted roof covering the central open area between the main buildings was engineered and built by Waagner-Biro using steel, glass and translucent fabric. [5]

In February 2008 Sony sold the Sony Center for less than 600 million euros to a group of German and US investment funds, including investment bank Morgan Stanley , Corpus Sireo and an affiliate of The John Buck Company . [6] The group sold the Sony Center to the National Pension Service of South Korea for 570 million euros in 2010. [7] [8]

In 2017, Oxford Properties and Madison International Realty acquired the complex for close to 1.1 billion euros. [9]

From 1999 until 2019, CineStar operated a cinema, Cinestar Sony Center, and an IMAX theater in the center. [10] Both were used for screenings in the Berlin International Film Festival until their closure. [11]

Design [ edit ]

Architects Murphy/Jahn sought to create a complex where the outside was the "real" city, while inside was a "virtual" city, reinforcing this dichotomy through a series of passages and gates. The design's use of light, both natural and artificial, creates an environment that is "luminous, not illuminated." [12]

When the building opened, the Chicago Tribune wrote: "Jahn's design for the Sony Center bears a superficial resemblance to the dizzying atrium of his James R. Thompson Center in Chicago's Loop because its buildings wrap around a big public space. But unlike the Thompson Center, the Sony Center's public space, called the Forum, has an umbrella-like roof of steel, glass and fabric partly open to the elements, with a cone-shaped, 30-foot-wide opening in its center." [13]

Hochtief was the general contractor; Jaros, Baum & Bolles provided MEP engineering; and the structural engineering consultants were BGS Ingenieursozietat and Ove Arup & Partners . [12]

Attractions [ edit ]

The Sony Center contains a mix of shops, restaurants, a conference center , hotel rooms, around 67 residential units, [14] offices, the Museum of Film and Television , and a Legoland Discovery Center . [15]

Free Wi-Fi is available. During major sports events like the 2006 FIFA World Cup , it was also home to a large television screen on which the games were shown to viewers sitting in the large open area in the middle. [ citation needed ]

The Sony Center is located near Berlin Potsdamer Platz railway station , which can be accessed on foot. A large, covered shopping center , the Mall of Berlin , is nearby, as are many hotels, Deutsche Bahn central offices, along with an office building that is home to the fastest elevator in Europe. [ citation needed ]

Gallery [ edit ]

  • Central forum
    Central forum
  • Exterior
    Exterior
  • Glass roof
    Glass roof

References [ edit ]

  1. ^ Suzuki, David (2003). Good News for a Change:How Everyday People Are Helping the Planet . Greystone Books . p. 332. ISBN   978-1-55054-926-3 . Archived from the original on 7 April 2023 . Retrieved 25 January 2021 .
  2. ^ Inquiry on Sony Berlin Deal Archived 31 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine New York Times , February 5, 1992.
  3. ^ Arno Schuetze (October 2, 2017), OMERS buys landmark Berlin property Sony Center for 1.1 billion euros Archived 30 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine Reuters .
  4. ^ "Architecture Sony Center" . www.sonycenter.de . Archived from the original on 16 April 2018 . Retrieved 15 April 2018 .
  5. ^ "Sony Center ? Waagner Biro / Steel and Glass facades" . Archived from the original on 26 October 2020 . Retrieved 22 October 2020 .
  6. ^ "Berlin's Sony Center Sells for Bargain Price | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 28.02.2008" . Archived from the original on 1 February 2012 . Retrieved 22 March 2008 .
  7. ^ "NPS Acquires Sony Center in Berlin ? News & Views ? Hines" . Hines . Archived from the original on 3 January 2018 . Retrieved 5 December 2016 .
  8. ^ Berlin, Berliner Morgenpost - (21 May 2010). "Sudkoreaner kaufen Berliner Sony Center" . www.morgenpost.de (in German). Archived from the original on 19 July 2016 . Retrieved 5 December 2016 .
  9. ^ Aime Williams (October 2, 2017), Berlin’s Sony Centre sold for over €1bn Archived 10 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine   Financial Times .
  10. ^ Peter Zander (December 30, 2019), CineStar im Sony Center schließt: Ein Verlust fur die Stadt Archived 9 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine   Berliner Morgenpost .
  11. ^ Blaney, Martin (9 January 2020). "Berlinale 2020 adds screening venues in the wake of closures" . Screen . Archived from the original on 12 August 2022 . Retrieved 21 September 2022 .
  12. ^ a b "Flashback: Sony Center Berlin / Murphy Jahn" . ArchDaily . 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023 . Retrieved 9 February 2023 .
  13. ^ "GLITZY SONY CENTER OPENS IN BERLIN AS PART OF REUNION BUILDING BOOM" . Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on 9 February 2023 . Retrieved 9 February 2023 .
  14. ^ Aime Williams (October 2, 2017), Berlin’s Sony Centre sold for over €1bn Archived 10 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine Financial Times .
  15. ^ "Entertainment" . Sony Center Berlin . Archived from the original on 9 February 2023 . Retrieved 9 February 2023 .

External links [ edit ]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sony Center .

52°30′36″N 13°22′25″E  /  52.51000°N 13.37361°E  / 52.51000; 13.37361

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