First off, this is a tough spot for any building (in Berlin). Second, yes it is gimmicky, and the (ptsor-faocist) podium vs contemporary tower is clumsy but I suppose mostly thanks to the hyper conservative Berlin building regs. Third, coming back to its location it is almost cocky of Total (formerly Total-Fina-Elf) to make such a strong statement right next to Germany’s governmental center, if one remembers the scandal involving said company and the government of Chancellor Kohl and gigantic sums of bribes in the early to late 1990s.