PRESS

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Welcome to the press section of BIKINI BERLIN. Here you will find all of the latest press releases, as well as detailed basic press texts about the architecture, concept and history of BIKINI BERLIN in our press kit.

You will also find an extensive selection of image material, which is available to download free of charge. Please note that the image rights remain the property of Bayerische Hausbau/Bikini Berlin.

If you are planning a TV/video or radio report about BIKINI BERLIN or wish to create your own image material of BIKINI BERLIN in our building complex, please note that advance permission is required. We will be happy to send you the corresponding form upon request.

Press Releases

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Located in the western area of downtown Berlin, next to the Berlin Zoo and facing the new Waldorf Astoria Hotel, “Bikini Berlin”, a new venue, is being created that goes beyond conventional architecture, city planning or typical shopping malls.

Bikini Berlin is a concept mall, a collection of carefully selected and perfectly matched boutiques, concept and flagship stores as well as restaurants and service providers. The new shopping oasis addresses a sophisticated, trendy and style conscious international clientele with a high standard of quality and shopping experiences with this uniquely designed venue.

A new shopping experience

The basic idea of this architectural concept includes a combination of shopping, working, relaxation, cinema and hotel in an urban environment.

The centerpiece is the so-called historical “Bikinihaus” with a total length of 200 meters. The concept of the rehabilitation of the listed building complex dating back to 1957 comes from the renowned studio Arne Quinze. The Munich architecture studio Hild und K was entrusted with the project. Due to its two-tier architecture, reminiscent of the young and fresh swimwear garment at the time, the house was popularly called “Bikinihaus”.

After completion of the renovation, the visitors will find retail stores and restaurants on the bottom three floors of the Bikinihaus. The third to the fifth floor as well as the penthouses will comprise exclusive offices.

The highlight of Bikini Berlin is the 7,000 m² large, landscaped and publicly accessible roof terrace with the underlying "Bikini Berlin Pool", a two-storey building behind the Bikinihaus. A unique view of the zoo and its wildlife will be possible from this roof terrace.

In Bikini Berlin Pool, visitors will find future pop-up stores on a total area of 3,300 m² that can be rented for a period of 3 to 12 months. Potential tenants can present their ideas and products here. In addition, the Bikini Berlin Pool includes a modular, usable area, which will meet the needs of visitors for events and exhibitions in the building.

Innovative Hotel experiences and Premium cinema

Next to the Bikinihaus will be the so-called "Kleine Hochhaus", which, upon completion, will accommodate the 25hours Hotel. The hotel comprises 149 rooms with a mix of styles ranging from city to jungle. In the rooms on the north-side, guests will be able to enjoy a panoramic view of the zoo. The crowning penthouse level will include a 360-degree roof-top bar upon completion.

The Zoo Palast cinema was already a legend as part of the historic building complex, and as a premiere theater it was the heart of the Berlinale film festival for years. For the conversion of the interior design of the theater ensemble, the year 1957 was taken as a reference point. The original colour will significantly shape the future ambiance of space inside the Zoo Palast. The existing structure from the original construction will be carefully restored.

Besides the four cinema halls in the listed building with its two halls from the fifties and two smaller halls from the eighties, three new cinemas will be created. 1,650 seats will be available after the reopening.

ARCHITEcture of the building complex

Historically speaking, the area around Berlin´s Zoological Garden can look back at a long tradition defined by major dynamics during its prime: Some 100 years ago this part of the city already stood for a spirit of optimism. It stood for innovation and worldliness, and for “the new West”.

Bikini Berlin is one of the few contemporary witnesses of the turbulent history of West Berlin from the post-war period of the fifties. In 1957, Paul Schwebes and Hans Schoszberger finished the ensemble "Zentrum am Zoo", which is a symbol of the townscape of the City West.

The new facade of Bikini Berlin is a successful blend of history and modernity. The south façade of Bikini Berlin as well as that of the Kleines Hochhaus, both of which are listed, will be faithfully reconstructed in the style of the fifties. The former facade is hardly known, even for a Berliner, because it was hidden behind synthetic ornamentation since the eighties. Bikini Berlin has taken on the task to preserve or restore the original architecture with the initial character of the building complex as much as possible. On the upper three floors of the Bikinihaus there are extensive, horizontally arranged glass plates in colours of sand, amber, black, white marble and stone gray. The vertical facade will be finished with gold-coloured oxidised elements.

For the facade of the new building additions, such as the cinema construction, the freestanding staircase to the roof terrace, the parking garage, and the Kleine Hochhaus, the old, no longer usable coloured glass parts of the fifties will be crushed and applied to the new area using a blow-molding process. The north facade of the house and the Kleine Hochhaus will be fully glassed and offer a spectacular panoramic view of the zoo and its wildlife.

ONLINE SHOP now LIVE

A first preview of the shopping experience of Bikini Berlin is already possible online at http://onlineshop.bikiniberlin.de or www.bikiniberlin.de. In the online shop, limited edition products produced in cooperation with selected designers and brands can be purchased. The exclusive Bikini Berlin products include among others, the "Est. in Hell for Bikini Berlin T-Shirts”. The designer label "Lala Berlin" is like no other label for the urban Berlin Chic and presents another item in the collection.

The innovative Berlin cosmetics brand Uslu Airlines has developed two exclusive nail polish colours for Bikini Berlin. Also, Olaf Hajek, one of the world’s most popular and most successful illustrators has designed a 100-piece limited edition, hand-signed art print exclusively for Bikini Berlin that reflects his vision of the building complex at the Budapester Straße (street). Further, there are the "Canvasco for Bikini Berlin Shoulderbags" made from recycled sail cloth and the "Marstaller for Bikini Berlin" iPad sleeves.

DIE BAYERISCHE HAUSBAU

The concept of revitalisation of BIKINI BERLIN is a project of the Bayerische Hausbau, one of the largest integrated real estate companies in Germany. Bayerische Hausbau is investing in the hundreds of millions in the fundamental revitalization of the area. Bikini Berlin offers a total of around 51,100 m² of leasable area. From this, about 17.000 m² are for retail stores and restaurants at the Bikinihaus and the Bikini Berlin Pool, 1,000 m² for restaurants at the Großes Hochhaus, 4,300 m² for the Zoo Palast cinema, 8,800 m² for the 25hours hotel as well as approximately 21,000 m² of offices. 3,000 m² will be available for warehouse space.

Currently, 70 percent of the total rentable area of the building complex is already rented. The tenants include designer Andreas Murkudis, GANT Rugger and the Supermarket Concept Space. Additional leases for retail, with a total area of 2,000 m², are being finalised. Rental of the Pop-Up Stores started in the summer of 2013.

Opening

BIKINI BERLIN will open gradually from autumn 2013. In October, the Kleine Hochhaus will be transferred to the 25hours Hotel. The shops and restaurants in Bikinihaus and Bikini Berlin Pool will open in the first quarter of 2014.