About

Cultural heritage worth protecting

The Berlin State Library – Prussian Cultural Heritage (Stabi Berlin for short) is one of the most important academic universal libraries in the German-speaking world and Berlin’s central library for research in the humanities and social sciences. It is also one of the most important library buildings in the world. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Luther’s Hebrew Bible – both on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register – are just two of the many remarkable cultural treasures that have found a home at the Stabi Berlin.

Owner: Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation

Architects: Prof. HG Merz und BAL Bauplanungs und Steuerungs GmbH

Project management: Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning, Department IV 3

Official website:

Partner involved: Atanassow & Co. Zugangs- und Sicherheitssysteme GmbH, Wandlitz

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Challenges

How can we combine heritage protection and modern access solutions in an aesthetically pleasing way?

Barrier-free gates with escape route function
Smooth and controlled visitor flow
Consideration of heritage protection requirements
Protection of book stock against unauthorized removal

dormakaba products prove their worth in our daily work. They reliably fulfill their purpose without restriction, guarantee the highest level of security and ensure a controlled, rapid flow of people.

Kai Atanassow

Managing Director Atanassow & Co. Ltd.

Details

Protecting the Stabi Berlin for generations to come

Renovation during ongoing operations

Under the project management of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR), the main building of the State Library was completely renovated in several stages between 2005 and 2019. The library continued to operate during the work, and a new central reading room was added. The complex has been reopened in various stages since 2019. Since then, the monumental neo-baroque façade has concealed a technically sophisticated building with exacting requirements for fire doors, energy efficiency and access control.

Access control for the reading rooms

From Monday to Sunday, the Stabi Berlin attracts an average of 1,200 visitors a day. Visitors have access to all of the public reading rooms free of charge via the impressive staircase hall leading from the main entrance area. To ensure that the valuable contents of these rooms are secured at this key point, we and our executive solution partner Atanassow & Co. Zugangs- und Sicherheitssysteme GmbH were awarded the contract to implement an access control system for the reading rooms.

Barrier-free access

We completely modernized access to the reading rooms, giving due consideration to the building’s heritage-listed status. We installed an access control system from Atanassow & Co. in the entrance area to the reading rooms and the book issuing section, consisting of our Kerberos turnstile and our Argus sensor barrier, clad in Abet Laminati paneling for aesthetic appeal. The sensor barrier is accessible and approved for use in escape routes.