A new visitor center for the German Bundestag will reroute tourists that currently form long, unwieldy lines outside along the front façade. The new building faces the Bundestag across the Scheidemannstrasse, occupying a square site of the Tiergarten. The two buildings will be connected subterraneously. Plans for a new building emerged from changing security concerns, an increase in annual visits, and the wish to present the visitor with a didactic exhibit about the German parliament, including a circular, mock parliament floor to be used for social discourse. The design balances strict security requirements with a desire for openness and transparency. The main entrance is dominated by a large security zone and is articulated as a wedge intersecting with a larger glazed volume. Once inside the main space, visitors ambulate around an interior cubic volume containing the mock parliament. An upward ramp leads to a café with views of the Bundestag. A downward ramp marks the beginning of the exhibit spaces, eventually leading the visitor to a large corridor leading to the Bundestag itself.