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The ticket hall of the Berliner Festspiele, designed in 1963 by Fritz Bornemann as an architectural threshold between city and stage, is reimagined through the addition of a bar that intensifies its mediating role both spatially and atmospherically. The intervention draws on central motifs of the original building, translating them into a contemporary, operationally clear, and audience-oriented element.
At its center stands the Litfaßsäule—a traditional Berlin advertising column—symbolising urban publicity, communication, and exchange. Integrated into the bar structure, it takes on multiple roles: organising service areas, defining zones, and creating a focused point of interaction between staff and visitors. Its vertical form anchors the composition, while a continuous “belt” ties the individual parts together and serves as a surface for projection and display—translating the communicative function of the column into a spatial and performative device.
Materially, the design continues Bornemann’s architectural language through the use of exposed aggregate concrete, the signature material of the Festspielhaus. Formed into a monolithic counter, it provides a tactile, robust counterpart to the column’s graphic presence. The tension between tectonic solidity and visual surface produces a clear architectural expression that reinforces the building’s identity without dominating it.
Functionally, the bar serves as a spatial mediator—between inside and outside, audience and staff, everyday life and performance—transforming transition into a moment of encounter and anticipation.
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