Editing Alexanderplatz (section)

===After German reunification (1989)===

Ever since [[German reunification]], {{lang|de|Alexanderplatz|italic=no}} has undergone a gradual process of change with many of the surrounding buildings being renovated. After the political turnaround in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall, [[urban planning in communist countries|socialist urban planning]] and architecture of the 1970s no longer corresponded to the current ideas of an inner-city square. Investors demanded planning security for their construction projects. After initial discussions with the public, the goal quickly arose to reinstate {{lang|de|Alexanderplatz|italic=no}}'s tram network for better connections to surrounding city quarters. In 1993, an urban planning ideas competition for architects took place to redesign the square and its surrounding area.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

In the first phase, there were 16 submissions, five of which were selected for the second phase of the competition. These five architects had to adapt their plans to detailed requirements. For example, the return of the Alex's trams was planned, with the implementation to be made in several stages.

The winner, who was determined on 17 September 1993, was the Berlin architect {{lang|de|[[Hans Kollhoff]]|italic=no}}. {{lang|de|Kollhoff|italic=no}}'s plan was based on Behrens’ design, provided a horseshoe-shaped area of seven- to eight-storey buildings and {{convert|150|m|adj=on}} high towers with 42 floors. The {{lang|de|Alexanderhaus|italic=no}} and the {{lang|de|Berolinahaus|italic=no}} – both listed buildings – would form the southwestern boundary. Second place went to the design by {{lang|de|[[Daniel Libeskind]]|italic=no}} and {{lang|de|Bernd Faskel|italic=no}}. The proposal of the architecture firm Kny & Weber, which was strongly based on the horseshoe shape of Wagner, finally won the third place. The design by {{lang|de|Kollhoff|italic=no}} was chosen on 7 June 1994 by the [[Berlin Senate]] as a basis for the further transformation of {{lang|de|Alexanderplatz|italic=no}}.

In 1993, architect {{lang|de|[[Hans Kollhoff]]|italic=no}}'s master plan for a major redevelopment including the construction of several skyscrapers was published.<ref name="bloomberg1">Dalia Fahmy (27 May 2014), [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-26/25-years-after-communism-eyesores-spur-landmark-debate.html "25 Years After Communism, Eyesores Spur Landmark Debate"] ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref>

In 1995, {{lang|de|Landesbank Berlin|italic=no}} completed the renovation of the {{lang|de|Alexanderhaus|italic=no}}. In 1998, the first tram returned to {{lang|de|Alexanderplatz|italic=no}}, and in 1999, the town planning contracts for the implementation of {{lang|de|Kollhoff|italic=no}} and {{lang|de|Timmermann|italic=no}}'s plans were signed by the landowners and the investors.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}