Australian Embassy

The prestigious commercial building, whose richly decorated majolica façade unites elements of Art Nouveau and Expressionism, was built for textile companies. From 1945 to 1992 it was used by various GDR state organizations as well as by the Dietz- Verlag, a publisher affiliated with the SED [Socialist Unity Party] party. In 1997 the Australian government acquired the building as the site for its new embassy in Berlin. After a competition was held, design concepts by the Australian office Bates/Smart (with Braun/Schlockermann, Frankfurt) were implemented to thoroughly modernize the building and a neighboring one to the north, at Märkisches Ufer 6-8, and convert them into the Australian Embassy and Consulate. As an embassy, it has been considered one of Berlin’s foremost buildings used for official representation since it opened in 2003.