The listed group of buildings was designed in the 1950s by Paul Schwebes and Hans Schozsberger. The Bikinihaus in particular has come to symbolise the post-war reconstruction era. It has bestowed the revitalisation with its name and has become its centrepiece, albeit over the years, the building had largely deteriorated.

The objective was to make the lightness of the period it was built in palpable again, in the middle of the colourful international metropolis Berlin of the 2010s. The delicate elegance typical of the 1950s of profiles and original colours weren’t that easy to recreate in the new construction of the façades, due mainly to today’s strict energy-saving regulations.

The reconstruction required replacing a number of historical constructs and materials, like for example the coloured glass panels on the old facades. They were shredded and used in the rendering of new insulated building parts. The old building materials have come to life again.

The roof of the newly established Concept Mall has become the connecting element between Breitscheidplatz and the zoo. It is a publicly accessible terrace covering 7,700 sqm and is accessible via a stadium-like flight of stairs on the inside and a large open flight of stairs from the forecourt at Budapester Strasse. Nearly 10 metres up in the air, visitors can enjoy the unique views over the gardens.