ICC - Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin

The ICC – International Congress Center Berlin as a Photo Spot on Messedamm

Ralf Schüler and Ursulina Schüler-Witte won the competition in 1966, construction took place between 1973 and 1979, and it opened on April 2, 1979. At over 924 million Marks, it was the most expensive building in West Berlin, even more expensive than the State Library. Its dimensions explain why the building barely fits into a single picture from any perspective: approximately 313 meters long, 89 meters wide, and almost 40 meters high, with over 200,000 square meters of gross floor area. Behind it are about 80 halls and rooms with a total of 20,300 seats, the largest accommodating up to 5,000 people. The silver-gray aluminum facade and the externally located technical installations make the building a major work of high-tech architecture in Germany. A bridge connects it to the exhibition grounds, surrounded by Messedamm and the city motorway. Its island-like location between Messedamm, the railway, and the city motorway is part of the concept and explains why the building looks like a landed ship.

ICC Photo Spot: Aluminum Facade, Monument Protection, and an Open Future

Since September 2019, the building has been a protected monument, explicitly as a total work of art including colors, materials, artworks, and furnishings. Currently, only the exterior can be photographed. The last public event took place in March 2014; since then, the building has been in standby mode, with no tours or events. Interior views were last possible during special openings in 2023 and September 2025, when tens of thousands could see the neon guidance system and the roof terrace. For the future, things are in motion: In September 2026, the State of Berlin concluded an exclusivity agreement, valid until June 2027, with the Quartier ICC project partnership; a 99-year leasehold is being negotiated. First construction measures could begin from 2029, and a gradual commissioning as a mixed-use quarter is planned from 2032. So, anyone who wants to capture the facade in its original state still has a few years. Several entrances and a public north-south passage are planned, which are intended to break up this island-like location.