One hundred years ago journalist Karl Scheffler declared Berlin “a city condemned forever to becoming and never to being”. His words proved prophetic as the 20th Century metropolis experienced alternating waves of construction and catastrophe. Soon after Scheffler penned his statement Weimar era Berlin found itself central to a new Modernist architecture and a rapidly expanding industrial population, resulting in a extensive retooling of the urban infrastructure.
In following decades, after siezing the reins of power, the Nazis would also seek to remake Berlin, this time with a series of megalomaniacal construction projects marching beneath the banner of their “Aryan” aesthetic. Their madness soon resulted in the city being reduced to mountains of rubble by Alled bombing and Soviet artillery.
After the war’s end the rebuilding of the divided city would once again be a proving ground of political influenced architecture as communist and capitalist regimes contended for the creative imaginations deciding the future of postwar Europe. Vast sums were expended in an attempt to demonstrate the desirability and architectonic power of one or the other political system. Finally, as the Iron Curtain fell at the beginning of the nineties, architects and developers attempted to sieze the moment in order to found a unified urban plan for the battered city.
Today the post Reunification landmarks are familiar: the Reichstag Dome, Potsdamer Platz, and the new government quarter are visited by millions of tourists each year seeking to find the ‘new’ Berlin. But Babylon on the Spree, as ever, is not yet finished becoming. Countless building projects around the city testify to Berlin’s dynamism and ever changing nature. Here’s a short list of the projects currently in the works and on the streets.
German Intelligence Headquarters
Spies in the House of Love
Soon to be one of Berlin's largest construction sites, this top secret location is surrounded by a high wooden privacy fence, t...
Bernauer Strasse
The Death Strip Comes Alive!
Except for its silent monument to the Berlin Wall, the south side of Bernauer Strasse has long been a unused grassy lot of inte...
Upper Eastside Berlin
No No New York
The architects of this rather unremarkable appearing 58,000 m² complex of residential, office, and "exclusive retail" space cla...
Deutsche Bahn HQ
The Future - Cubed.
The ground has not yet been broken on this project from Danish architects 3XN but already the building is inspiring controversy...
SpreeDreieck
A Hundred Years in the Making
This triangular 4200qm plot just north of Friedrichstraße Station has been one of the most contested building locations in Berl...
Berlin's Palace
Back to the Future
In Berlin the process of construction always begins with destruction! The most celebrated architectural controversy in a genera...
About
Wandering between the blossoms and broken buildings of Faust’s metropolis beneath the full moon, William Thirteen chased the silvered ghosts of Anita Berber and Gottfried Benn down Berlin’s back alleys only to wake days later unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed in a grassy lot on the wrong side of the Ringbahn.
GRAFT Architectural Highlights
It is an exciting time to bear witness to Berlin’s constantly evolving identity, a city still trying to define itself and in the course of such wie...
Monopol Collectors Guide
Would you like to enjoy an in-depth discussion with none other than Berlin's private art collectors as your sparring partner Then take a peek at ou...
Vintage Hunting
Do you love the smell of dusty cotton? Do you dig the noise of leather cracking? Are you patient enough to dig through piles of old sweaters to fin...
Vinyl digger´s secrets
Marc Hype combines his proven skills on the decks with a natural ability to pick the right tune at the right time ... This also means spending hour...
Tour de Bear
Bikes are a great way to experience the city and get a feel for its layout. Berlin is relatively big; maybe not in number of inhabitants ( 3.5 M ),...
Long hot summer
Berlin is about to go summer crazy. No matter if you’re a foreigner living in Berlin or just a temporary guest-it’s inevitable that everyone back h...
Fit for a President
U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama arrives in Berlin this week, marking his only public appearance on the continent along his tour of European ...
Eternal quest to be stylish
Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion has to do with ideas ... Coco Chanel once said—and Berlin bubbles with ideas: young ...
Zum mitnehmen, bitte
By this point it's clear: Berlin is no longer stuck with the stigma of bad German food. In fact, there is great food in this city, from fast food t...
Olympic Memories
A nation using the Olympics to demonstrate its resurgent economic might, an impressively modern stadium commissioned specifically for the games, al...
Nike Guide
Work from the collaborative "5 Icons, 5 Remixers" Nike project are tucked away at five of Berlin's most street-savvy sneaker stores. On display for...
ABC Guide
The first weekend in September welcomes in the first ever Art Berlin Contemporary (ABC) exhibition. Starting with an invitation-only opening on ...
