POTSDAMER PLATZ 1991 COMPETITION

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POTSDAMER PLATZ 1991 COMPETITION THE BRIEF A recreation of a mixed use design that would function as a bridge between East and West Berlin, a new centre, consisting of retrieved character of pre-war

Potsdamer Platz is the result of extensive competitions, designs and planning.

1 POTSDAMER PLATZ 1991 COMPETITION THE BRIEF A recreation of a mixed use design that would function as a bridge between East and West Berlin, a new centre, consisting of retrieved character of pre-war urban life with traditional block pattern, spaces to stroll and relax. A place of high visual quality for staging public life that citizens could identify with. Potsdamer Platz is the result of extensive competitions, designs and planning. In 1990, Germany launched a master plan competition for Berlin in order to obtain a comprehensive basis and to set a vision for further designs. The context of the brief was a time when the critical reconstruction method prevailed in Berlin. Hans Stimmann (the director for housing and construction in Berlin, the main architect of the city in ) spoke about stringent aesthetic and environmental requirements. To all architects working in the city, including famous ones, were given the strict conditions: new buildings should be included into the context. Though star architects created many utopian projects for Berlin, which suited only for architectural albums. We have called our approach the critical reconstruction, that is restoration, although much buildings were rebuilt. The original brief triggered debate between deconstructionists (who wanted the scars of history to become the primary feature of the city s landscape) and traditionalists (who wanted to escape the city s scars completely). Daniel Libeskind is a deconstructionist. He argued that traditionalist attempts reflected a vision of a city not suited for today or for tomorrow. Libeskind believes: Berlin is a new city. It is not 1870, 1910 or It is post-war and we have a new economy and a new understanding of cities. WINNING ENTRY The competition attracted 17 international entries, including star architects Richard Rogers and Daniel Libeskind. It was decided by a jury composed of city planners, council representatives and architects. The competition was won by Munich-based Hilmer-Sattler with a plan for compact, 35m high blocks and dense street plan. They argued against large single buildings put up by individual property owners and purposefully omitted an indoor shopping mall. Their plan was very much in the spirit of critical reconstruction. However Rem Koolhaas (a judge described their plan as a reactionary, provincial, and amateurish urban conception. At the same time, the main investors wanted spectacular architecture. Since Daimler-Benz owned most of the property around Potsdamer Platz, their urban design by Renzo Piano ultimately, and primarily, shaped the new development. The result is an area divided between five radiating streets referring to the site s historic arrangement and accentuated its forefront by high-rise towers. The presence of skyscrapers was to testify a city s importance on the global arena - and influenced by investors. The rest of the buildings were broken into blocks with a maximum height of 35m, referring to the historical urban blocks - as per Hilmer-Sattler s original winning design. Clearly the competition entry designs were compromised over time.

Micromegas is one of his first works, in which he redefines the parameters for knowledge of the world and displaces vision via parallel planes.

2 DANIEL LIBESKIND Polish-born and German by adoption, Daniel Libeskind initially studied music before turning his focus to architecture. He studied at the Cooper Union in New York, under John Hejduk, and History and Theory of Architecture at Essex University. Micromegas is one of his first works, in which he redefines the parameters for knowledge of the world and displaces vision via parallel planes. Many of his designs are not autonomous, and live as a sequence. In each of them you can read the continuation of the previous, or the depth or even a different view of the same subject. He first came to Berlin in 1987 when he won the competition for a housing project for the International Building Exhibition in West Berlin (never built). He believes both east and west were hungry for a future of the entire Berlin society as a better, enlightened, ideal, or even revolutionary, tomorrow. Libeskind is very passionate about Berlin. On arrival he was keen to see the many kinds of Modernist structures. He says: What makes Berlin such a great city, that it has always been a modern city since the very beginning. He describes himself as an architect who is aware of history and incorporates it into his work. He acknowledges that he is part of an ongoing dialogue. Libeskind thinks the era of rebuilding structures of the past has now passed, because going back in history has never really worked anywhere.

It is not chaos; it is an order of a different kind. Daniel Libeskind SPATIAL CONSIDERATIONS THE CASTLE Is a 1926 novel by Franz Kafka. In it a protagonist known only as K.

3 It is not chaos; it is an order of a different kind. Daniel Libeskind SPATIAL CONSIDERATIONS THE CASTLE Is a 1926 novel by Franz Kafka. In it a protagonist known only as K. arrives in a village and struggles to gain access to the mysterious authorities who govern it from a castle. BROADER CONTEXT Traditionalists argued that Berlin should be critically reconstructed according to the 19th century city-block and street pattern. Axel Schultes, for example, contended that any redevelopment should reflect Berlin s architectural traditions, specifically the solid and Prussian approach to urban planning. Daniel Libeskind regarded such sentiments as reactionary. To Libeskind, and other deconstructionist architects, the proposed architectural models of the traditionalists were: At best like a thirties boulevard in Milan or Madrid, at worst like a German military parade street. Rudolf Stegner Libeskind s opinion was supported by Rem Koolhaas, for whom the beauty of the German capital lay in these major areas of nothingness, which were left by the European history, making it the most contemporary and avant-garde of all cities. For deconstructionists, from a spatial perspective, Berlin s voids presented a provocative lack of imposed logic that they valued. Libeskind protested again traditionalists, saying that Berlin did not need any new order, because it was already a perfectly ordered city. It is these approaches that are represented by his entry for the Potsdamer Platz competition. LIBESKIND S ENTRY The architect was seeking the absent soul of the city. Berlin allowed him to describe the invisible and bring hidden traces to the light. His plan was that of a fractured star or broken glass. However it could be seen from the plastic model that it was a design following a dual nature: the crossing over of lines of overlapping of layers. It was impossible to reconstruct the demolished fabric of the city: the only solution was a dialectical overlaying of buildings like trajectories that fit one into the other with alternating vertical sections. However, the constraints of the brief and presence of German Democratic Republic buildings was strong and urged Libeskind towards a difficult dialogue. There was a battle to be waged against nostalgic historicism and the blank slate of totalitarianism: effectively he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. INSPIRATION Kafka s The Castle is a novel which broke down all real referents, dissolving the ties of time and place. With its many entrances, it reflected the idea of the Jewish city. Libeskind quotes Kafka s Prague, that of the Jewish ghetto, made up of winding paths and buildings that grew one on top of the other, where K. wandered securely suspended in the air. This imagery can clearly be observed in his entry. Another influence was the internal world of painter Marc Chagall, and of the popular fable where houses freed themselves from their tie with the earth and in which dream and reality exchanged roles.

SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS BROADER CONTEXT By acknowledging that the memory of past destruction must be visibly available to the present, Daniel Libeskind says we can begin to read between the lines and

He says conservatives argue that an old city was such a good city, that it is much safer to rebuild in that image than to move forward to something unknown.

In Libeskind s opinion, if you just follow the old building lines and volumes, you are actually treating the city like a piece of art or a museum that has to stay the same or that was finished at

LIBESKIND S ENTRY If it was not possible to think that the ruins of Potsdamer Platz could decree its identity, Libeskind took an alternative approach.

4 SOCIAL CONSIDERATIONS BROADER CONTEXT By acknowledging that the memory of past destruction must be visibly available to the present, Daniel Libeskind says we can begin to read between the lines and see a different future for Berlin and for the public square. Libeskind is very aware of present day challenges: You need affordable housing, places for kids and families, more public places. He says conservatives argue that an old city was such a good city, that it is much safer to rebuild in that image than to move forward to something unknown. But do you really want to have the old city back with all its disadvantages that are so easily overlooked? Does this actually solve the current challenges? In Libeskind s opinion, if you just follow the old building lines and volumes, you are actually treating the city like a piece of art or a museum that has to stay the same or that was finished at some point. Effectively, this is ignoring the social implications and requirements of modern society. LIBESKIND S ENTRY If it was not possible to think that the ruins of Potsdamer Platz could decree its identity, Libeskind took an alternative approach. His design captured the angel in ten rays of absolute absence. Shattered memory became the symbol of this intervention. In his entry, it was these shattered fragments that ruled the composition, whilst the distinction between building and city disappeared. It is an unfinished mosaic with pieces coming from Paris, Vienna, Venice and Berlin. But importantly the ten lines intertwin programmes and functions with different uses. In the entry, this included apartments, factories, markets, hospitals, nursery schools, cemeteries and libraries, all interwoven in an anti-zoning plan at different levels of height. As per the brief, the part of the city still alive is saved. At the same time, the new Potsdamer Platz aimed to resolve the economic and cultural division between east and west. A horizontal prism dominates the great plan on an axis with Parisien Platz: a stranded aircraft-carrier suspended in the sky.

MOVEMENT The intervention of the Potsdamer Platz competition brief aimed to make an

An important component was that history and evolution needed to live together in all aspects.

architectural value of the German Democratic Republic.

entirely new city centre for Berlin would be: the tunnel segments of Federal Highway 96 and

5 MOVEMENT The intervention of the Potsdamer Platz competition brief aimed to make an improvement in public space and traffic circulation. An important component was that history and evolution needed to live together in all aspects. The brief stated that all levels were to be preserved, even the buildings of little architectural value of the German Democratic Republic. Completing the traffic infrastructure alone foreshadowed just how complex building an entirely new city centre for Berlin would be: the tunnel segments of Federal Highway 96 and Underground Line 3 as well as the Intercity Railway Station were built directly underneath Potsdamer Platz. All were important milestones in reintegrating Potsdamer Platz with urban life in Berlin.

POTSDAMER PLATZ TODAY The site covers a total area of 550,000m², with 175,000m² of office space, 40,000m² retail/catering space, 370 apartments, 130 shops and 30 restaurants, cafés and bars.

SURROUNDING SITES Potsdamer Platz sees 100,000 visitors each day, sustains 10,000 jobs and houses 2,500 underground parking spaces.

Bluemax theatre, Berlin casino, Cinemaxx cinema and Berlin Walk of Fame.

6 POTSDAMER PLATZ TODAY The site covers a total area of 550,000m², with 175,000m² of office space, 40,000m² retail/catering space, 370 apartments, 130 shops and 30 restaurants, cafés and bars. There are multiple transport connections, including Potsdamer Platz station, the Airport-Express, E-Mobility options, a car2go stand with 16 electric Smart cars and 8 charging stations. SURROUNDING SITES Potsdamer Platz sees 100,000 visitors each day, sustains 10,000 jobs and houses 2,500 underground parking spaces. There are a myriad of hotels, including Grand Hyatt and The Mandala, as well as a host of entertainment options such as the Potsdamer Platz theatre. Bluemax theatre, Berlin casino, Cinemaxx cinema and Berlin Walk of Fame. Modern constructions include The Spielbank (a casino), Debis Tower, and a large shopping mall on the former site of the Wertheim department store. The Science Center Medizintechnik is a futuristic curvy building at Eberstrasse, providing juxtaposition to historical sites like St Matthew Church, a church near Potsdamer Platz. In terms of sustainability, Potsdamer Platz holds a German Green Building Council (DGNB) certification in silver. There are ventilation and façade systems making use of natural fluctuations in light, airflow and temperature. Reportedly carbon emissions in the district were reduced by 70%, and eco-friendly, non-hazardous construction materials used during construction. There is a pioneering waste disposal concept which underlines the district s eco-friendly credentials. The Potsdamer Platz quarter stands on solid ground and was therefore challenged by soil sealing. A modern concept for sustainable management of water was introduced, and 20 million litres of drinking water are saved each year. Today Potsdamer Platz, part of the Tiergarten neighbourhood, is surrounded by a rich collection of cultural establishments. These include the Philharmonie and Chamber Music Hall, bulit in the 1950s and 1960s, the Musicaltheater, and the State Library (Staatsbibliothek).

TIMELINE 1838 opening of Berlin Potsdamer Railway Station Transformed Potsdamer Platz from a quiet suburbia just outside the city gates to one of

1871 founding of the German Empire Potsdamer Platz experienced a significant boom triggered by the construction of large buildings, numerous

1920 Potsdamer Platz was Europe s busiest thoroughfare Commuter trains, the underground, 26 trams and five bus lines pass through.

1924 Pentagonal-shaped tower erected. The first traffic light system in Europe; came to symbolise Berlin s pioneering spirit.

1945 the Second World War Potsdamer Platz was almost completely destroyed.

1961 divided by the Berlin Wall No other section of the Wall had such a large area of no man s land, or death strip.

7 TIMELINE 1838 opening of Berlin Potsdamer Railway Station Transformed Potsdamer Platz from a quiet suburbia just outside the city gates to one of Europe s most bustling neighbourhoods founding of the German Empire Potsdamer Platz experienced a significant boom triggered by the construction of large buildings, numerous restaurants and a period of economic upturn Potsdamer Platz was Europe s busiest thoroughfare Commuter trains, the underground, 26 trams and five bus lines pass through. 20,000+ cars & 83,000 travellers were counted every day. Potsdamer Platz is a focal point for middle class entertainment and a society hotspot Pentagonal-shaped tower erected. The first traffic light system in Europe; came to symbolise Berlin s pioneering spirit. Potsdamer Platz was continually changing. Old was torn down to make way for new; Classicism was replaced by the New Objectivity the Second World War Potsdamer Platz was almost completely destroyed. When the war ended, it became the border triangle where the Soviet, British and American sectors met divided by the Berlin Wall No other section of the Wall had such a large area of no man s land, or death strip. Every building was demolished and the Iron Curtain reigned supreme for three decades the falling of the Berlin Wall Potsdamer Platz immediately began to resume its role as a key urban hub. A road forms a temporary passage between East and West Berlin Competition for Reconstruction After the fall of The Berlin Wall it was decided to organise a series of architectural competitions for the reconstruction of Berlin centre contest projects are completed The actual city centre is shifted to the west. The grid of streets repeats the plan structure of early twentieth century.

The Pompidou Centre. Reading Practice

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