Located in Berlin, House of One unites the three major monotheistic world religions under one roof. The unique project is being built on site of an old church that was destroyed during war. Building on these historic ruins without damaging them, required a creative approach.
In 2012, the architects Kuehn Malvezzi won the international competition with their design. It foresees the archaeological findings and foundations of the old church in the lower levels, where they are weather-protected and open to the public. They are also visible from the outside through an arcade with large windows fronts. The three separated sacred rooms – church, synagogue and mosque – are arranged around a dome hall on the upper level. This central hall creates space for encounters and exchange.
The building’s supporting structure posed a challenge for the planners. Since the old church’s walls and foundations did not allow a continuous floor slab, the entire building was realized on a pile foundation with head beams. Due to the massive, single-shell design of the masonry with 1 m thick walls, it served as supporting structure. Up to date there exists no comparable building in Germany.
