Large vertical garden planned for the site of the former aquarium, which was destroyed in an explosion, at the Berlin Radisson hotel.

Radisson Collection Hotel near Alexanderplatz to Reopen with Stunning Vertical Garden

After a year of closure due to an unfortunate incident, the Radisson Collection Hotel near Berlin's Alexanderplatz is set to reopen at the end of the year. The hotel made international headlines in December 2022 when an indoor aquarium burst, flooding the hotel lobby and the street outside with 1,500 fish and a million litres of water.

The aquarium explosion investigation was closed in October 2023 due to a lack of a clear conclusion. However, the company responsible for recycling the debris from the exploded aquarium, Alba Group, has been hard at work. By reusing the concrete base, high CO2 emissions from demolition, removal, and disposal have been avoided.

In a bid to move forward, Union Investment Real Estate GmbH, the hotel's owners, have announced plans for a new lobby centerpiece. The main feature will be a 16-metre-high vertical garden, reaching up to the sixth floor of the hotel. The vertical garden will cover around 120 square metres in the hotel lobby and will be arranged on 36 tree-like vertical slats.

The new vertical garden, dubbed as a "living tree", will feature approximately 2,000 plants of 22 different species. It will also boast dramatic lighting that changes throughout the day, creating a captivating spectacle for guests and visitors.

Fabian Hellbusch, the spokesman for Union Investment Real Estate GmbH, has declined to disclose the cost of the lobby rebuild at this time. The 90 tons of acrylic glass from the exploded aquarium tank will be recycled by a certified waste disposal company this summer. The acrylic fragments from the exploded aquarium tank are currently being examined by experts.

The new vertical garden is expected to be a significant attraction, not just for the hotel, but for the city of Berlin as well. The Radisson Collection Hotel near Alexanderplatz is set to reopen its doors, offering a refreshing and sustainable new experience.

Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting transformation!