The Bundestag, which met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn beginning in 1949, had built a 160-office building connected to the Bundeshaus in 1951 to house the representatives' offices, the "Abgeordnetenhochhaus" (Representatives Tower). As the Bundestag at that time had nearly 500 representatives so additional office space was rented for the other representatives. Construction of a new office building was prevented by a building freeze which took effect in 1956. The freeze was enacted due to Bonn's officially "provisional" status as capital of West Germany. It was felt that excessive construction would make its status seem more permanent and undermine the eventual reunification. The halt was eventually loosened as the lack of space grew ever more urgent in the early 1960s. At that time, planning for the new Representatives House began.
