Potzdamer Platz

In 1991, two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a competition was held for a new urban design of the public square Potsdamer Platz. This was the intended point of coalescence for East and West Berlin. The square, which until the 1920s had been the city’s center with more traffic passing through than any other intersection in Europe, was left devastated at the end of the Second World War. Once the Wall was built, little remained but an urban wasteland straddling the boundary between the two halves of the divided city. This situation persisted for nearly thirty years until 1989, when the square once again found itself at the center of a reunited city. It was hoped and expected that Berlin, the resurgent capital, would become a gateway into Eastern Europe. The city’s new status required restoration of an urbane public square in the spirit of the compact European city. The city’s new status required restoration of an urbane public square in the spirit of the compact European city. Daimler-Chrysler and Sony entered the scene as developers with plans to surround the square with American-style skyscrapers and giant shopping-mall complexes on private land.

(The source of this information is based upon My Public Space a very interesting study on Public Spaces are developed in 8 European cities).

The Sony Centre, design by Helmut Jahn.

The structure consists of seven individual buildings grouped around a central atrium designed as a public area. The buildings include offices, apartments, cinemas, restaurants, a "Filmhaus" and the Sony headquarters. The outstretched tent roof is constructed of a length of material fastened to a steel ring which is attached to the neighbouring buildings. More photos here.