The Playce

The Playce (stylised by its operator as ThePlayce) is a shopping centre located in the Potsdamer Platz quarter in the Tiergarten locality of the Mitte borough of Berlin, Germany. It first opened on 2 October 1998 under the name Potsdamer Platz Arkaden, as part of the large-scale redevelopment of the Potsdamer Platz area following German reunification. The centre was conceived as a long, covered shopping passage integrated into a 19-part building complex designed by an international team of architects led by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, who sought to create a "European-looking urban quarter" characterised in part by terracotta façades. In its original configuration, the Arkaden housed 133 shops, restaurants, cafés and bars across three levels, with a sales area of roughly 40,000 square metres. It employed around 1,000 people and its tenant mix was dominated by textile retailers. By the mid-2010s it attracted around 42,000 visitors per day, with a total catchment area estimated at about 4.25 million people. The opening of the Mall of Berlin nearby in 2014 increasingly eroded the Arkaden's significance. In November 2018, plans for a comprehensive renovation were announced. The rebuild took place from spring 2020 to 2022. On 15 September 2022 the centre reopened under the new name The Playce. The name referred to a planned "Mission: Play!" store by the toy company Mattel, which was ultimately not realised. Architecturally, the renovation emphasised the passage's street-like character — for example by continuing the street paving seamlessly inside the ground floor — and removed the upper-level galleries, so that the side walls of the passage now present the different façades of six large anchor tenants. The hope accompanying the redesign is that the complex, functioning as a kind of covered pedestrian zone, will be more strongly connected to the surrounding quarter. The centre is served by lines of the Berlin-Brandenburg transport association (VBB) and offers visitors a car park for 4,000 vehicles. Its official web presence is hosted at potsdamerplatz.de.

The Playce originated as the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden, which opened on 2 October 1998. It formed part of the redevelopment of the Potsdamer Platz quarter, a 19-part building complex realised by an international team of architects led by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, who had also co-designed the Centre Pompidou. Piano aimed to create a "European-looking urban quarter" and shaped its appearance in part through terracotta façades. In its original conception, the shopping centre spread 133 shops, restaurants, cafés and bars over three levels, with a sales area of around 40,000 square metres. Opening hours were Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 21:00. Around 1,000 employees worked in the centre, whose tenant mix was dominated by textile retailers. By the mid-2010s, roughly 42,000 visitors came daily, and the total catchment area was estimated at around 4.25 million people. The opening of the Mall of Berlin in the immediate vicinity in 2014 caused the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden to lose significance increasingly. In November 2018, plans for a comprehensive renovation of the Arkaden were announced. The rebuild was carried out from spring 2020 to 2022. On 15 September 2022, the shopping centre reopened under the new name The Playce. The new name referred to the planned "Mission: Play!" store of Mattel, which was not realised. Architecturally, the centre follows the principle of an elongated shopping passage whose main entrance connects diagonally to Alte Potsdamer Straße. In its original form, the ground-floor level was accompanied by two parallel galleries on the first upper level, connected by bridges, from which further shops and restaurants were accessible. After the renovation and reopening as The Playce in 2022, the passage's street character was emphasised — for instance, the street paving inside the building on the ground floor was continued seamlessly, and the upper-level galleries were removed. Instead, the side walls of the passage now appear in their new design as the different façades of the six large anchor tenants. The hope associated with the architectural redesign is that the complex, as a kind of covered pedestrian zone, will be more strongly connected to the quarter. The building is reachable via lines of the Berlin-Brandenburg transport association (Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg). Visitors also have access to a car park for 4,000 vehicles.

• 2022

  Reopened on 15 September 2022 under the new name The Playce.

• 2020

  Rebuild carried out from spring 2020 to 2022.

• 2018

  In November 2018, plans for a comprehensive renovation of the Arkaden were announced.

• 2014

  Opening of the Mall of Berlin in the immediate vicinity, after which the Arkaden increasingly lost significance.

• 1998

  Opened on 2 October 1998 as Potsdamer Platz Arkaden.

A covered, street-like shopping passage in the Potsdamer Platz quarter, repositioned in 2022 to reconnect with the surrounding urban district.

• Shopping centre with 133 shops, restaurants, cafés and bars in the original configuration

• Covered shopping passage with six large anchor tenants after the 2022 renovation

• Car park for 4,000 vehicles

1. 1The Playce – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Playce – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Potsdamer Platz official websitepotsdamerplatz.de