Multifunctional building Leibnizkolonnaden

Berlin ranks among the main European metropolises. Even before World War I, the urban structure of the broader city center was stabilized by block developments. The charm of Berlin's courtyards can become a tourist attraction similar to Hackesche Höfe. Multiple arrangements of courtyards away from the main street were an effective response to the growing demand for housing, but at the cost of reduced lighting levels in the inner blocks.
Hans Kollhoff, rightly regarded as an advocate of classical architecture, chose to approach the project of the multifunctional buildings Leibnizkolonnaden differently than traditional block developments with inner courtyards. The plot located in the Charlottenburg district of West Berlin, near the commercial boulevard Kurfürstendamm, was instead fully opened up, creating a generous piazza flanked on the north and south sides by covered colonnades with granite columns rising over two stories. Kollhoff came up with a simple yet radical move for Berlin: to split the city block and create public space. With his colonnades, Kollhoff aimed to bring an atmosphere reminiscent of Italian cities to Berlin. However, the implementation of this archetypal element in Charlottenburg was accompanied by lengthy local political disputes that had to be resolved by the Berlin Senate. The piazzetta elegantly addressed the dilemma of how to orient apartments towards the street and which ones to face the less lucrative inner block. Thus, all apartments have a view of the paved square measuring 32 x 108 meters, above which there is an underground parking lot spanning two levels.
In the pair of eight-story buildings, there are 120 residential units, offices, shops, and a kindergarten located on the roof. The southern side of the square features apartments, while the northern part contains offices.
The area, which had been vacant since 1900 and had long been used as a parking lot, was named after the Jewish philosopher and writer Walter Benjamin after the rough construction was completed on April 25, 2000, and the square was opened to the public on May 12, 2001.