Conservationists call for modernisation of Berlin embassy building

Conservationists in Berlin are calling for the Czech embassy there to be conserved in the face of possible demolition. Conservationists say they have expressed their wished to Czech officials and have also offered expertise on means of modernising the building, according to Czech Radio. The embassy on Wilhelstrasse is one of the few examples of so called “Socialistic brutalism” from the 1970s. The embassy, planned for more than 300 staff, now has around 35, and the costs of maintaining the building are high. Staff also complain that temperatures inside the building vary between tropical and Arctic.