It really was a waterworks," explained Martin von Websky, a member of the conference secretariat. "Now it´s just used for the International Congress and Business Center. It gets used pretty often."

The Waterworks building was at one time a working waterworks, it's main function to obtain and distribute the water supply. Its function changed in the late 1980´s when the German Parliament decided to reconstruct and refurbish the original plenary chamber. Between September 1986 and October 1992, the former pump room of the Waterworks building served as a provisional conference venue of the Federal Parliament. However, when the new chamber was completed in 1992, the Berlin Wall had fallen and members of parliament voted to move there.

A dirt trail links a side exit of the Center to the front entrance of the Waterworks building. The Center, with its industrial feel, and state-of- the- art equipment is distinctly different from the quaint sight of the Waterworks building, which resembles an old brick school house. Circular windows allow light to enter. White bricks outline its edges. The outside of the building reveals little of the actual details of its interior.

Two men in uniform stand at the entrance, guarding the building. Immediately, a bit of charm is lost. The inside resembles the plenary hall in the Congress Center. It has the same modern, ordinary feel. Beige, theater style seats fill the main room. Three seats for the plenary leaders are perched on a platform at the front of the room equipped with all the necessary microphones, cameras and speakers. The freshwater conference banner hangs at all ends of the room. Beige carpeting covers the building and glass doors permit entry and exit. Steel staircases lead participants to the upper level. The Waterworks building is fully prepared for the high level discussion of the freshwater conference, revealing barely a trace of its former identity.