Internationales Handelszentrum, Office tower in Berlin-Mitte, Germany
The Internationales Handelszentrum is a modern high-rise building that rises 93.5 meters across 25 floors and features black window surfaces framed by white structural sections. The complex serves as an office building with underground parking and direct access to Friedrichstrasse railway station.
Planned in the 1970s under Erhardt Gißke, director of the East Berlin construction management, the tower was designed by architect Josef Kaiser and built from 1976 to 1978 by the Japanese Kajima Corporation after Kaiser's contract talks in Japan. A three-storey base with restaurants and shops stood on the Friedrichstraße side until 2000, when it was demolished for two 35-metre extensions.
The building's name reflects its role as a trade hub: from 1982 it housed the Imes Import-Export GmbH arms dealer run by Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski, and embassies were already tenants in GDR times. Between 1999 and 2004 the Dutch embassy, and until April 2005 the Canadian embassy, used it as interim quarters. Today around 135 firms from more than 15 countries occupy it.
The building is accessible directly from Friedrichstrasse with public transport connections including the U-Bahn and bus stops nearby, as well as the railway station entrance. The interior offers modern office spaces and underground parking facilities convenient for business visitors.
From 2003 to 2012, a large Opel logo was displayed on the building's roof, signaling the presence of an automobile showroom within the complex. This prominent sign shaped the city's visual landscape for nearly a decade before being removed.
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