The former International Congress Center (ICC)
© dpa
The competition for the design of the long-empty former International Congress Center (ICC) at the Berlin Radio Tower is due to start this year.
This was announced by Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD) on the RBB evening show. According to her ideas, the conversion will create a “Berlin Pompidou Center”.
Opened in Paris in 1977, the Centre Pompidou is the art and cultural center of the French capital. Among other things, it houses a museum of modern art and a library. According to Giffey, the first comprehensive pollutant report on the ICC will be published shortly. The feasibility study for the congress center and the adjacent area should also be made public in the near future together with the Senate for Urban Development.
“This is the basis for us being able to go out to tender in the international competition this year,” said Giffey. “We will call on the best architects and investors internationally to participate in a concept for the ICC.” The building, which has been a listed building since 2019, was once one of the largest convention centers in the world. It has only been used sporadically for years. Giffey has long been campaigning for the building not to be written off. In September 2023, the black-red Senate decided to launch an international competition. It anticipates total costs of 1.6 million euros.