Coke separator in Schiffbauergasse

The coke separator in Schiffbauergasse was built between 1953 and 55 according to plans by Karl Gottfried Pust. Its form and design reflect the industrial architecture of the 1930s. In the production of raw gas from coal, coke is a byproduct that must be crushed and separated to be used as fuel. This process took place in the 35-meter-high, clinker-clad steel structure. Along with the machine hall and the gasometer, the coke separator is one of the last remaining structures of the gasworks, which closed in 1990 as the VEB Energiekombinat (state-owned energy combine). Founded in 1856 as the Freund gasworks, it continuously produced gas, coke, and tar for the city of Potsdam. Dismantling of the gasworks and remediation of hazardous materials began in 2001. In 2002/03, the coke separator was gutted, renovated, and converted into an office building for service industries. Today, the site houses offices as well as the second campus of the private medical university HMU.