It's been dubbed Berlin's 'churchmosquagogue' – and after 10 years of planning, its construction is finally about to begin.

The city's House of One is an ambitious project to house a church, mosque and synagogue under one roof. Its creators hope it will become a beacon for interfaith cooperation and dialogue.

House of One chairman Roland Stolte says local Christian worshippers came up with the idea in 2010. 

"The House of One is a grassroots project, started by the local congregation, which is a very important part of its success," he told CGTN. 

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It followed extensive excavations at a sacred site regarded as the birthplace of the city, dating back to the Middle Ages. 

"From 2007 to 2009 there were archaeological excavations, during which the foundations of the original church were found," said Stolte. "We began discussions with the state of Berlin on what to do with this place. 

"Our congregation decided quite quickly that they didn't want to rebuild a church at the site. They said we live in a multi-religious city, so our congregation made the invitation to Jews and Muslims to create a new type of sacred building."

Stolte, a Christian theologian, has worked with pastor Gregor Hohberg, imam Kadir Sanci and rabbi Tovia BenChorin for the past decade to make the dream a reality.

The 32-meter-tall building, which will overlook the city, is being built on the site of the Petriplatz St. Peter's Church, demolished in 1964 by the rulers of the then German Democratic Republic, and the fifth church built on the site.

Costing an estimated $57 million, the building was designed by Berlin architects Kuehn Malvezzi. Its foundation stone will be laid at a ceremony on May 27 and building work should be completed in four years. With a brick exterior, it will feature a high central dome and include a space for gathering and meditation.

Each sacral space will be accessed independently, enabling them to be used individually at all times. Jews, Christians, and Muslims will worship separately, but visit each other for religious holidays, commemorations and celebrations.

The zones will contain rooms for each clergy and will contain auxiliary rooms, such as ritual washrooms. The synagogue, church and mosque will contain their own separate galleries and are linked to the central meeting hub. Here those of other faiths, along with non-believers, will be invited to events and discussions.

"There are three sacred spaces; a small synagogue, a small church, and a small mosque," explained Stolte. "In the middle is a hall of encounter and exchange, specifically for the secular community. It's the biggest room in the house, and that is important."

The building has received $36 million in funding from the federal government and the state of Berlin. Another $11 million was received from donations and fundraising, with a new drive for contributions expected to fill the funding gap.

The House of One is involved in plans in three other countries to install similar buildings housing the three Abrahamic religions. "We have partner projects in the Central African Republic, Georgia and Israel," said Stolte. 

"It's the same methodology of building together to raise peace building processes in specific societies. My hope is that we will have a network of such Houses of One and these projects are beacons of peace and tolerance."

Video editor: James Sandifer