The official 3D city model originated with one of the largest urban development projects pursued after 1989 in Berlin, the construction of Potsdamer Platz.
The various buildings were presented to the public in 3D format. The highly popular presentation was part of the "Info Box" at Potsdamer Platz and was later used in the showroom of the Business Location Center, part of the Berlin economic development organization, Berlin Partner GmbH.
At the same time, the Senate Administration for Urban Development (Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung) developed a CAD-supported 3D model in conjunction with the master plan for the inner city “Planwerk Innenstadt”. The objective was to develop a precise 3D model based on Berlin’s Digital Cadastre (Automatisierte Liegenschaftskarte - ALK) to allow the visualization of urban planning concepts down to the individual building.
