Reuter West, Berlin

The architectural concept for the new power plant was developed by Hans Hertlein, the in-house architect at Siemens-Schuckertwerke, whose team constructed the buildings in the New Objectivity style. The power plant’s original purpose was to supply electricity to the rapidly developing western part of Berlin and the industrial facilities in Siemensstadt. After the city was divided in 1961, the power plant underwent several phases of expansion and became West Berlin’s most important electricity supplier. As part of this expansion, the power plant was also converted into a combined heat and power plant. Since infrastructure requirements have changed in recent years, some of the power plant’s structures are being repurposed, either entirely or in part. The former staff building—now a multipurpose building—was gutted and its interior completely renovated in close coordination with the local historic preservation authority. The first two floors are now being converted into office and customer service spaces for Vattenfall AG, meeting areas for team discussions, and various technical facilities. The third floor continues to serve as a shower and changing area for employees. The top floor will also be used as office and meeting space in the future.