Orangery

The Orangery, located on Kalenderplatz, picks up the main theme of the "Cosmological Park". The south side of the building is aligned with the zero meridian, so that when the sun reaches its highest point at 12.00 noon sharp, it casts a shadow on the golden meridian line in the centre axis of the café, from which the Berlin local time can then be read. The open glass front of the building creates a connection to the adjacent park landscape, which is continued in the greenery of the gently rising roof. By the way, the highest point of the Orangerie can be climbed from its rear side. From there, you have an impressive view over the lake landscape of the Britzer Garten.

But the Orangery not only creates an aesthetic reference to its surroundings, it also absorbs them in the form of warmth and light. Its passive energy system stores the sun's heat so efficiently that it can do completely without conventional heating systems. This means that guests of the Italo-Bistro, which is housed in the middle section of the Orangery, can enjoy the sunshine captured by the building at almost any time of the year, while letting their gaze wander over the large lake of the Britzer Garten. During the cold months, the two adjoining side wings of the Orangery are also home to those plants of the Britzer Garten that prefer not to hibernate outside.