Tempodrom, Multi-purpose hall in Kreuzberg, Berlin
The Tempodrom is a multi-purpose hall on the site of the former Anhalter Bahnhof in Kreuzberg, Berlin. Its square base carries a 37-metre roof of white steel-and-concrete panels whose peaks radiate from a central apex like a circus tent, a form that contrasts with the station ruins. Under it are two circular arenas, the larger seating up to 4,000 and the smaller 450, plus the Liquidrom spa.
Irene Moessinger, a former nurse, used an 800,000-mark inheritance to open the Tempodrom in a circus tent beside the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz in 1980. After moves to the Tiergarten and a temporary site near Ostbahnhof, a permanent building by Gerkan, Marg und Partner opened at Anhalter Bahnhof in December 2001.
The name Tempodrom combines the Latin words tempus (time) and domus (house), not simply 'time' and 'place'. The venue has hosted the annual German Masters snooker tournament. Its circular arenas, under a roof echoing the original circus tents, place the audience around the stage rather than in a rectangular hall.
The address is Möckernstraße 10 to 25 and is easily reached from Möckernbrücke or Anhalter Bahnhof metro stations. Inside you will find a bistro, and during warmer months outdoor seating is also available.
The roof rests on twelve steel roller bearings that carry its load downward, a detail chosen partly because events in the large arena generate heavy acoustic loads. The 37-metre structure is clad in 12 cm thick precast reinforced-concrete panels mounted on a steel frame.
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