INSPIRE BERLIN
INSPIRE THE WORLD
Welcome to the International Congress Center Berlin (ICC Berlin)—an icon of modern architecture and a milestone in European congress history. With an impressive capacity of 14,500 seats across 80 versatile rooms, the ICC Berlin offers space for events of all kinds—from international congresses to cultural highlights. This architectural jewel, that once attracted guests from all over the world and shaped Berlin as a city of encounters has been resting since 2014. Now it is to be revitalized and developed into a unique venue for the arts, culture, and the creative industries. In autumn 2023, the Berlin Senate and the Berlin House of Representatives agreed to allow the ICC to be reused by private investors as part of a concept-based procurement procedure. On November 25, 2024, the Senate Department for Economics, Energy, and Public Enterprises officially launched the concept-based procurement procedure. The competition for participation was successfully completed and evaluated in August 2025. In a dialogue process led by a top-class jury, a utilization concept was negotiated with a selected consortium of bidders. An official award recommendation for the “Quartier ICC Project Partnership” and its utilization concept has been in place since June 2026. The goal of the negotiations now beginning between the State of Berlin and the project partnership is to finalize the leasehold agreements and award the contract, so that the ICC can finally open its doors again to people from all over the world.
Mayor of Berlin & Senator for Economic Affairs,
Energy and Public Enterprises
“The ICC is a Berlin icon that has been waiting for its next era for many years. Today, we are proving that this unique place has a future: a new, vibrant and innovative district full of opportunities will emerge in the west of our city. Since the building entered preservation mode, we have never been as close as we are today. Over the past five years, spanning two different Berlin state governments, we have worked intensively to reach this point. Now, together, we are achieving a real milestone. We are entering the detailed project preparation and award phase, including negotiations on the long-term ground lease agreements, which will ultimately be submitted to the new Berlin State Parliament for approval. The ICC will once again become a lively destination and a defining landmark at Berlin’s western gateway. It will still take a little more time but it’s going to be something spectacular.”
Senator for Urban Development, Building and Housing
“Built in the 1970s, the ICC has always been an international hub symbolising Berlin as a global city. With a contemporary new use, this role can now be revived. The plans of the Quartier ICC Project Partnership will improve the urban integration of the ICC while also helping to shape Berlin’s overall urban development. I am pleased that the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing will be responsible for the development panning process as the competent planning authority.”
Managing Director of BIM Berliner Immobilienmanagement GmbH
“The redevelopment of the ICC is an extraordinary undertaking – not only because of its size and complexity, but also because of its significance for Berlin. The recommendation for award now provides a solid foundation for launching the next phase of project development. The proposed concept demonstrates how heritage preservation, public use and economic viability can be successfully combined. The task now is to create the many technical, legal and financial prerequisites needed to transform this vision into a sustainable future project for the ICC.”
The ICC is intended to become an open, vibrant place for Berlin – the heart of a new urban quarter with international appeal. The aim is a careful revitalisation of this listed architectural icon, one that respects its unique history and powerful spatial character while enabling new uses for the city.
Under the guiding principle of “function follows form”, the existing qualities of the building are to be preserved and reactivated through contemporary spatial structures. A diverse mix of uses is planned, including art, culture, concerts, exhibitions, gastronomy, events, the creative industries and new working environments. Large halls, foyers and extraordinary spatial volumes can once again serve as stages for international formats, Berlin-based cultural actors and public programs. In close partnership with the State of Berlin, solutions are also to be developed for temporary alternative venues, cultural anchor uses and long-term, sustainable operating models.
In this way, the ICC will not only be experienced on event days, but will gradually evolve into a lively quarter used throughout the day. Complementary new buildings at Messedamm 9 and 11, new entrances, improved connections, attractive forecourts and gastronomic offerings will create a new address and link the building more strongly with its surroundings. The result will be a place that generates new cultural and economic momentum and has the potential to once again become an internationally visible future-oriented destination for the city. o the creation of a future-oriented location that will become a global symbol of creativity and innovation.
Press Release - 24 June 2026
Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprisese
Since 2014, the International Congress Center (ICC) in Berlin has been operating in a preservation mode. To bring new life into the listed landmark and Berlin‘s icon and to create an internationally unique destination for arts, culture and the creative industries with a sustainable long-term perspective, the State of Berlin launched a Europe-wide ICC Concept Proposal Process on 25 November 2024. A decisive milestone has now been reached: an official recommendation for award has been issued in favour of the “Project Partnership Quartier ICC”.
Based on this recommendation, the State of Berlin, acting as the granting authority for the concession, will now offer the project partnership an exclusivity agreement and initiate the subsequent award preparation phase. During this approximately two-year project development period, issues including planning permission, financing, heritage preservation requirements and the further refinement of the operational and usage concept will be addressed.
The “Project Partnership Quartier ICC” brings together leading companies and renowned experts from project development, urban planning, architecture, heritage conservation, arts and cultural management, engineering, construction and project management. Its members are Arup Deutschland GmbH, Coloured Fields GmbH, GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH, HOCHTIEF Infrastructure GmbH, ICCA Projektgruppe / Stiftung Kunstforum Berliner Volksbank, KVL Projektmanagement Berlin GmbH, Max Dudler GmbH, MIB AG Immobilien und Beteiligungen and schneider+schumacher Planungsgesellschaft mbH.
