Who designed the Reichstag dome?

Norman Foster designed the modern Reichstag dome. His glass-and-steel addition crowns Berlin’s historic Reichstag building and was completed during the building’s 1990s reconstruction.

Foster’s dome replaced the original cupola, which had been damaged and ultimately lost through the Reichstag’s turbulent history, including the 1933 fire and the destruction of World War II. The rebuilt parliament complex reopened in 1999 after Germany’s reunification and the return of the Bundestag to Berlin.

The transparent dome has a 360-degree view of the city and allows visitors to look down into the parliamentary debating chamber. A mirrored cone redirects daylight into the chamber, while a computerized sun shield helps limit glare and excess solar heat.

The attribution can be confusing because architect Gottfried Böhm proposed an earlier glass cupola concept that influenced the final solution. Foster, however, is the architect conventionally credited with designing the completed Reichstag dome.