The topping-out ceremony for the Elisabeth Selbert House, a new construction project by the Federal Institute for Real Estate Tasks (BImA) for the Bundestag Administration, was held in Berlin. The construction site is located at "Unter den Linden 62", in close proximity to the Brandenburg Gate. The shell construction of the new office building has been completed, marking another step in the realisation of this parliamentary infrastructure project.
The building is dedicated to Elisabeth Selbert, one of the four women in the Parliamentary Council who played a significant role in drafting the Basic Law. Her commitment to the principle of equality, particularly Article 3, Paragraph 2 "Men and women have equal rights", continues to shape German constitutional law to this day. This naming connects the location, function and historical dimension of the project. In future, the Bundestag Administration will use the premises.
Sustainability and flexibility in planning
Omid Nouripour, Chairman of the Construction and Space Commission of the German Bundestag, emphasised that the new building in the centre of parliamentary democracy is consistently geared towards sustainability. The ecological criteria for sustainable building are fully met. The building's energy concept provides for regenerative energy generation, based on geothermal energy and photovoltaics. Should the timelines for construction continue to be met exemplary, the building would set ecological standards not only, but also in terms of construction time. With this property of the German Bundestag on one of Berlin's most historically significant streets, the Dorotheenstadt block will be urbanistically completed.
Prof. Dr. Alexander von Erdély, CEO of BImA, highlighted that the construction of a building for the German Bundestag at this historic address represents a special task. The Elisabeth Selbert House adds a new chapter to the history of the site by providing a modern and sustainable building that enables the Parliament and its administration to operate effectively in the long term. The Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung (Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt Foundation) will occupy part of the ground floor, where it will have exhibition spaces and other rooms.
The new building is being constructed in direct proximity to the Polish Embassy and blends into the historic building ensemble of Dorotheenstadt, one of Berlin's oldest and most politically and diplomatically significant districts. It comprises six full storeys and one basement level with a gross floor area of approximately 13,000 square metres. This provides space for around 200 offices. The building is being constructed according to the Sustainable Building for Federal Buildings (BNB) assessment system, with a Silver certification level. The primary use is intended for the Bundestag Administration; however, the planning allows for flexible repurposing from administrative to parliamentary use with little effort, should this become necessary.
