At Potsdamer Platz, a place that reflects Berlin’s eventful history like few others, the architecture and consulting firm CSMM has created a working environment for the international law firm Linklaters LLP that uniquely unites past, present, and future. Entitled “Time (R)evolution,” the design concept makes the site’s transformations spatially tangible. Echoing the Roaring Twenties, when Potsdamer Platz was considered the most vibrant place in Europe, and with a playful nod to that era, the spatial concept adopts the architectural language of the Kollhoff Building. The new identity connects this historical context with the present and, with its commitment to honoring the existing structure, offers a clear perspective on the most important issue of the future: sustainability.
The project is also part of a long-standing partnership. Following the offices in Hamburg and Munich, and the current headquarters in Frankfurt, Berlin is already the fourth branch that the CSMM team is equipping with a modern office concept – and simultaneously another chapter in the shared history of the law firm and the architecture firm. “The collaboration with Linklaters on this project was characterized from the outset by trust, openness, and shared enthusiasm – a partnership that has resulted in something special,” emphasizes Tania König, Head of CSMM Berlin.
Architecture in dialogue with history
The architectural concept translates the building’s history into three design eras: The client area, with subtle nods to the elegance of the 1920s, echoes the style of Professor Hans Kollhoff, whose design language, inspired by classical modernism, continues to shape Berlin to this day. The workspaces embody the “sleek present”—timeless, bright, and reduced to the essentials. The communal areas, in turn, represent a “new identity”—colorful, open, and designed for interaction. This creates a spatial narrative that runs like a common thread through the entire office: Past, present, and future meet not only conceptually, but also in the physical space. Linklaters’ corporate identity is also subtly integrated.
Sustainability through preservation of existing stock
From the outset, the planning was carried out in close consultation with Linklaters’ sustainability department. Materials, furniture, and built-in elements were reused wherever possible – a conscious contribution to resource conservation and preserving the building’s identity. Original doors, the Louis Poulsen hallway lights (converted from halogen to LED), the reception desk, the striking onyx wall in the entrance area, and the lemonwood panels and fittings designed by Hans Kollhoff were all preserved and reimagined. In this way, the building’s history remains spatially tangible, while the office impresses with contemporary technology and a fresh atmosphere.
A balancing act between transformation and continuity
The renovation took place in two phases and while the office remained fully operational – a planning and organizational challenge that CSMM mastered with sensitive coordination and precise communication. Functionally, the redesign led to a significant improvement in workflows: As a traditional law firm with predominantly partitioned workspaces, the question arose as to how to combine quiet, focused work with interaction and community. The answer: a newly created “Social Heart” – the communicative hub of the firm. The previously enclosed library was opened up and distributed across both floors, and the formerly windowless corridor was fitted with glass partitions that create light and transparency. Varying corridor widths allow for communal areas such as kitchenettes, printer stations, and library sections – places where encounters and the exchange of knowledge become natural.
The new Berlin office thus symbolizes the attitude of both partners: change as an opportunity, history as a foundation.
Design:
Photography: courtesy of CSMM
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