The Steglitzer Kreisel is a building complex with a high-rise building from the 1970s in the Berlin district of Steglitz in the southern area of Schloßstraße diagonally opposite the Steglitz town hall.
The main part of the complex is a 120 m high former administration building with 30 floors, one of the highest skyscrapers in Berlin, which housed the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district office until the end of 2007 and which has been empty since then. The base building also houses a BVG bus station with access to the Rathaus Steglitz subway station, a hotel and numerous shops; a parking garage adjoins it. The building is being converted into a residential high-rise as of 2015.
Planning and construction
Construction of the complex began in 1968 according to plans by the architect Sigrid Kressmann-Zschach. The estimated costs of 180 million DM were borne partly by the Berlin Senate and partly by the architect's property development company Avalon. Construction work was stopped again in 1974 ( see below ).
After demolition of the ruins had already been considered, the building was bought at auction in 1977 by Becker & Kries, who completed the roundabout for 95 million marks. After its completion in September 1980, the construction costs for the complex amounted to 323 million DM (adjusted for purchasing power in today's currency: around 395.9 million euros). Until the base was sold in 2015, the Steglitzer Kreisel was owned by the Becker & Kries community (owner of the base) and the State of Berlin (owner of the tower).
Since no tenant could be found for the offices after the high-rise was completed, the Steglitz district office finally moved into the complex. The consortium (Arge) BV: Steglitzer Kreisel consisted of the companies Anton Schmittlein Bauunternehmung, Wiemer & Trachte, FC Trapp, Siemens-Bauunion, Heibus Bauunternehmung, and Sager & Woerner.
It is rumored that a civil defense system was installed in the parking garage for some members of the American armed forces. The architect Ms. Kressmann-Zschach also created such a system in connection with her Ku'damm-Karree project.