Top of the World
Sony Center is celebrated as an iconic landmark and brings together all the vital elements of a vibrant enterprise and cultural collective in a microcosm of the city. The Sony Center is a Sony-sponsored complex of eight buildings located at the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany, designed by Helmut Jahn. It opened in 2000 and houses Sony's German headquarters. In the reconstruction of Berlin, Sony Center stands for a new technical vision and order. It is not a building, but a part of the city. External is the “real” city; internal is the “virtual” city. The Passages and Gates reinforce this transition from the real to the virtual world. Surrounding Sony Center are the traditional urban streets and spaces. Inside is a new type of covered, urban Forum for a changing cultural and social interaction of our time. The spatial dynamics and variety is contrasted by a minimal and technological attitude. Light, both natural and artificial, is the essence of the design. Sony Center is luminous, not illuminated. Façades and roof act as a fabric, which moderates the natural and artificial light. They become a screen. With its characteristics of transparency, permeability to light, reflection and refraction, there is a constant change of images and effects during day and night, effecting not only the appearance but also maximizing the comfort and minimizing the use of resources.
