Over the last century, cars have been the dominant element when designing cities and towns. Driving lanes, lane expansions, parking garages, and surface lots have been utilized as we continue our heavy reliance on cars, leaving urban planners to devise creative ways to make city streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists alike. But many cities, especially a handful in Europe, have become blueprints for forward-thinking ideologies on how to design new spaces to become car-free and rethink streets to make them pedestrian-friendly. Are we experiencing the slow death of cars in urban cores around the world in favor of those who prefer to walk or ride bikes? And if so, how can it be done on a larger scale?
Berlin: The Latest Architecture and News
Rules of the Road for Becoming a More Bike-Dependent City
Office Building Hamburger Bahnhof / Miller & Maranta
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Architects: Miller & Maranta
- Year: 2016
Studio Visit: A Conversation with Christoph Hesse Architects in Their Workspace in Berlin
There is so much more to know about architects and their projects when you begin to learn the stories behind their work. When you know where and how they draw their inspiration from and how an idea becomes a reality that you can touch, feel and experience, you get a better idea of why the project ended up the way it did.
Together with photographer Marc Goodwin, as part of his project Atlas of Architectural Atmospheres this time in the city of Berlin, we had the opportunity to meet with German architect Christoph Hesse, of Christoph Hesse Architects, based in Korbach and Berlin, and we spoke about all these things that make up his idea of architecture and his work. Meeting a creator on their own workspace is also an added value; we went through different projects while looking at the physical models and the narrative of his work became a beautiful story about a place, a countryside town in Germany, its people, and their lives, and a sustainable future in nature.
Iceberg Residential Building / rundzwei Architekten
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Architects: rundzwei Architekten
- Area: 1740 m²
- Year: 2019
Berlin Citizens Propose World's Largest Car-Free Area in the German Capital
Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei (People’s Decision for Auto-Free Berlin), has proposed a plan to limit cars within Berlin's Ringbahn, a long circle route around the inner city, making it the world's largest car-free area once approved. The citizen-initiative is aimed mostly at banning the use of private cars in central Berlin, with the exception of emergency vehicles, garbage trucks, taxis, delivery vehicles, and residents with limited mobility, who would all be given special access permits.
9 Newly Opened Museums Enriching the Arts and Culture Scene
Last year, a series of new museums, expansions and several museum renovations have opened their doors to the public, adding a new dimension to the cultural landscape around the world. From the long-awaited re-opening of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, to Ryue Nishizawa's Jining Art Museum merging with the landscape, and MVRDV's reflective Art Depot, discover the architecture of the latest venues of art and culture.
Berlin's Famous Architecture Studios Captured by Marc Goodwin
After a two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic, Architectural photographer Marc Goodwin has resumed work on the Atlas of Architectural Atmospheres, Archmospheres, starting with the city of Berlin. This project that seeks to capture architecture offices from around the world has already gathered images from Madrid, Brazil, Panama City, the Netherlands, Dubai, London, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, the Nordic countries, Barcelona, Los Angeles, and Istanbul.
Documenting diverse architecture and design studios, Goodwin captured 13 different office spaces in Berlin, including Hesse, LAVA, JWA, Tchoban Voss, Richter Musikowski, Barkow Leibinger, FAR frohn&rojas, studio Karhard, Jasper, Kleihues + Kleihues, Graft, Bundschuh Architekten and Sauerbruch Hutton.
Hagius Sports Studio / Gonzalez Haase Architects
Daycare Center and Office Space at Berlin University of Technology / KRP Architektur GmbH
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Architects: KRP Architektur GmbH
- Area: 2279 m²
- Year: 2021
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Manufacturers: Recker Ziegelwerk Berentelg & Hebrok OHG/ABC Klinkergruppe
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Professionals: EiSat GmbH Berlin, Dr. Gabriele Holst Landschaftsarchitektur
A New Exhibition in Berlin Explores the Human Side of Architecture
Shape Tomorrow, a new exhibition at AEDES Architecture Forum in Berlin, is a reaction to both staid, self-serious architecture shows and to the staid, self-serious architecture profession. Taking the form of a miniature city, it turns buildings into named characters, encourages visitors to populate structures with miniature people, and leaves space for them to fill the room with their ideas and criticism.
The exhibition, on view through January 13, is the brainchild of German architect Matthias Hollwich, founder of New York-based HWKN—a burgeoning firm known for both its research and its sense of whimsy. The show centers on nine, 16-foot-tall white plaster towers whose glowing bases take on the forms of some of the firm’s playful, kinetic projects from around the world. These include 25 Kent, a fractured office building in Williamsburg, and Die Macherei, a jutting and terraced mixed-use business district in Munich.
Fotografiska Announces Three New Locations in Berlin, Shanghai and Miami, Becoming the Largest Private Art Museum
Fotografiska Museum has announced its expansion to three new locations in Berlin, Shanghai and Miami, to be housed within existing buildings redesigned by Herzog & De Meuron, Neri&Hu and Rockwell Group. A former department store in Berlin's Jewish Quarter, a 1946 factory building in Miami and a historically significant warehouse complex in Shanghai are the future Fotografiska venues set for completion in 2022 and 2023. Together with the existing locations in Stockholm, Tallin and New York, these will form the world's largest private art museum in terms of size, number of locations, and exhibitions per year.
JIGI Poke Restaurant / VAUST Studio
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Architects: VAUST Studio
- Area: 120 m²
- Year: 2021
Rosé Atelier House / Helga Blocksdorf Architektur
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Architects: Helga Blocksdorf Architektur
- Area: 292 m²
- Year: 2018
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Professionals: Shivani Shankar Chakraborty, Jan Schwochow, Marianne Kammel
Spiral House in Berlin Proposes a New Residential Typology of Homogenous Living Spaces
German architecture firm Meyer-Grohbruegge has proposed a new residential typology that "adds a dynamic spatial dimension to a small building gap and emphasizes physical experience in housing". The competition-winning design features a central spiral staircase that connects the entire structure together and offers residents a fluid and dynamic interior that merges the outdoors and indoors.
Compact Market Voo Store / Bilge Kalfa Architecture
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Architects: Bilge Kalfa Architecture
- Area: 90 m²
- Year: 2019
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Manufacturers: BauBerlin, GastroArena, Hadler GmbH, Pierre Jeanneret, Royal Glass Berlin
MVRDV Converts Film Studios in Berlin into a Mixed-Use Campus
MVRDV revealed plans for adaptive reuse of Berliner Union Film Ateliers (BUFA), receiving planning approval to redevelop the first two buildings. The project expands the scope of the site to address a broader user base, including all kinds of creative industries, as well as organisations and individuals involved in activism and social justice. Building on the site's heritage and spatial diversity, MVRDV proposes a series of sustainable transformations of the existing structures, reaffirming the adaptive reuse ethos.
Café Camaleon / MVRDV + GRAS Arquitectos
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Architects: GRAS Arquitectos, MVRDV
- Area: 250 m²
- Year: 2021
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Professionals: Artis GmbH, MKP, IB Brandes