The (in)formal City – Part 3: Berl-informal Exploits

Post (in)formal City Programme, some of the participants stayed in Berlin to further take in what the city had to offer. Below is a short photo essay on some of the spaces visited in the downtime.

Post Programme Adventure: the Great Cycle Mission

Dagmar Hoetzel, an architectural journalist and project supporter, offered to take myself and fellow participant Claudia Morgado on an Architectural Bike Tour of her favourite spaces in Berlin.

Starting at the Kreutzberg Hill Dagmar took us on an epic adventure across the city’s network of cycling routes.

Kreutzberg Hill

Urban Skate Park

Neue Nationalgalerie: Mies Van Der Rohe

The South African Embassy in Berlin : MMA Architects

Tiergarten

Reichstag Building

Old Akademie der Kunste Building

Autobahn Building – the free way goes straight through it

Day finished with a train ride back through the most stereotypical ‘German’ train station.

Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum

As an architect one cannot visit Berlin without going to Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum.

Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum.

Haunting isolation spaces in the Museum

Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum.

The space that I enjoyed the most was the outside garden.

Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum.

Similar to Eeisenman’s Memorial a column grid is offset purposely to make the user feel unbalanced on the uneven surface.

Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum.

This is done to impart the message: That to force a societal ideal from a top down fascist manner – the experience will always feel and be unnatural.

Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum.

The never-ending staircase of Jewish Culture

Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum.

The Post World War 2 Disapora – note old South African Flag…

Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum.

This exhibit asks the viewer to put the head phones on, then as one moves close to the wall receptors pick up the frequency and a voice begins to speak.

Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum.

This has the powerful effect of bringing home the feelings of those lost.

Daniel Libiskind’s Jewish Museum.

Checkpoint Charlie

CheckPoint Charlie

The most tourist part of the trip. What is is most interesting is the crazy picture taking, Starbucks, McDonalds and other global brands that dominate this space.

Lest we forget our current fascist leaders – Mugabe hiding in the background

Potsdamme – Einstein Mendelsohn Solar Observatory

Einstein Mendelsohn Solar Observatory

An architectural visit to Berlin would not be complete with out visiting the most phalic architectural building ever created

Einstein Mendelsohn Solar Observatory

Le Corbusier House

Berlin Victory Tower Column

This wall perceived passers by and responded to their movements

The 1957 Berlin Pavillion – now a Burger King

Humboldt University & Memorials

Bebelplatz Memorial

By far the most moving memorial I experienced in Berlin. The Bebelplatz Memorial commemorates the Book Burning that took place during the Nazi Regime.