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Berlin: The Latest Architecture and News

Exhibition: New Moscow - Новая Москва, Urban Development by International Competitions 2012-2014

A new series of international architecture competitions are characterizing a clear change in the current urban planning strategy of Moscow. The initiator of these developments is the incumbent chief architect of the Russian capital, Sergey Kuznetsov. Together with his team, he has breathed new life into Moscow’s urban development since taking office in mid 2012. The exhibition New Moscow – Новая Москва presents two international competitions – from the fields of landscape planning (1st prize Diller Scofidio + Renfro, New York) and cultural building (1st prize Heneghan Peng, Dublin) – and through these demonstrates the great gains for the city’s urban planning that are being drawn from this open, global approach.

OMA Tops BIG, Büro Ole Scheeren to Design Axel Springer Campus in Berlin

After deliberating over the stellar proposals of three renowned firms, BIG, Büro Ole Scheeren, and OMA, Berlin-based media company AXEL SPRINGER SE has just announced that Rem Koolhaas' design is the winning proposal for their new office building.

The task of the competition was to create additional space for the media company, particularly its digital offers, and thus design a workplace fit for the future of online media. Koolhaas' design, which features a large 30-meter high atrium or "open valley" with interconnected terraces and public workspaces for both individual, collaborative, and mobile work, won favor with the jury for its forward-thinking concept. As Dr. Mathias Döpfner, Chief Executive Officer of Axel Springer SE, commented: “[Koolhaas] presented the conceptually and esthetically most radical model. The fundamental innovation of working environments will support the cultural transformation towards a digital publishing house."

For his part, Koolhaas had this to say: “It is a wonderful occasion to build in Berlin again, on this historical site of all places, for a client who has mobilized architecture to help perform a radical change…a workplace in all its dimensions.”

See more of OMA's winning proposal, after the break...

Berlin Wall Memorials Prove Controversial, Fall Behind Schedule

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this autumn, Germany planned two memorials, one in Berlin and one in Leipzig. However, as Der Spiegel reports, not only are they almost certainly not going to be complete in time for the anniversary, they have both proven highly controversial with the local people. Will these designs turn out to be monuments to German reunification, or just monumental failures? Read the article on Der Spiegel to find out more.

Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt / Huber Staudt Architekten

Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt / Huber Staudt Architekten - Extension, Courtyard, Facade, DoorPhysikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt / Huber Staudt Architekten - Extension, Door, Facade, Handrail, StairsPhysikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt / Huber Staudt Architekten - Extension, FacadePhysikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt / Huber Staudt Architekten - Extension, Facade, Door, HandrailPhysikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt / Huber Staudt Architekten - More Images+ 6

Generator Berlin Mitte / Ester Bruzkus + DesignAgency

Generator Berlin Mitte / Ester Bruzkus + DesignAgency - Interior Design, Bedroom, Beam, BedGenerator Berlin Mitte / Ester Bruzkus + DesignAgency - Interior Design, Kitchen, Facade, Table, Bench, CountertopGenerator Berlin Mitte / Ester Bruzkus + DesignAgency - Interior Design, Facade, Beam, Arch, ArcadeGenerator Berlin Mitte / Ester Bruzkus + DesignAgency - Interior Design, FacadeGenerator Berlin Mitte / Ester Bruzkus + DesignAgency - More Images+ 9

Barkow Leibinger Win Competition For Berlin's Tallest High-Rise

Berlin's Barkow Leibinger has won an invited competition to design a new hotel tower and conference centre as part of Berlin's largest hotel complex, the Estrel. Establishing a new gateway to the center of Berlin from Schönefeld International Airport, the tower will stand at 175 meters (578 feet) making it the tallest high-rise in Berlin to date. Located on the Sonnenalle at the intersection of the Ship Canal, S-Bahn and Autobahn, the site acts as a threshold between the heterogeneous industrial and residential periphery of the city and the historical neighborhoods of Neukölln.

Townhouse B14 / XTH-berlin

Townhouse B14  / XTH-berlin - Houses, FacadeTownhouse B14  / XTH-berlin - Houses, Kitchen, Beam, Table, Chair, Sink, CountertopTownhouse B14  / XTH-berlin - Houses, Facade, BeamTownhouse B14  / XTH-berlin - Houses, Facade, Beam, Stairs, HandrailTownhouse B14  / XTH-berlin - More Images+ 25

Berlin, Germany
  • Architects: XTH-berlin
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  230
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2012
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  GIRA
  • Professionals: SchillerDrobka

Water Sports Centre / Oliver Mang Architekten

Water Sports Centre / Oliver Mang Architekten - Sports Architecture, FacadeWater Sports Centre / Oliver Mang Architekten - Sports Architecture, Arch, FacadeWater Sports Centre / Oliver Mang Architekten - Sports Architecture, FacadeWater Sports Centre / Oliver Mang Architekten - Sports Architecture, FacadeWater Sports Centre / Oliver Mang Architekten - More Images+ 14

"Too Radical to Implement Yet Too Relevant to Ignore": John Hejduk's Kreuzberg Tower

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Robert Slinger, a founding partner of Berlin-based practice Kapok, narrates the story of a building "too radical to implement and too relevant to ignore." Having lived in John Hejduk's Kreuzberg Tower for eight years, Slinger "came to understand how Hejduk’s architecture both flexibly accommodates and yet asserts a presence which resists any attempts to co-opt it. Whilst impressed by its powerful exterior presence, its austerity and frontal directness left a strangely cold impression upon me."


"A house knows who loves it." – John Hejduk

"Too Radical to Implement Yet Too Relevant to Ignore": John Hejduk's Kreuzberg Tower - Residential Architecture"Too Radical to Implement Yet Too Relevant to Ignore": John Hejduk's Kreuzberg Tower - Residential Architecture"Too Radical to Implement Yet Too Relevant to Ignore": John Hejduk's Kreuzberg Tower - Residential Architecture"Too Radical to Implement Yet Too Relevant to Ignore": John Hejduk's Kreuzberg Tower - Residential ArchitectureToo Radical to Implement Yet Too Relevant to Ignore: John Hejduk's Kreuzberg Tower - More Images

Barkow Leibinger Places Third in Berlin’s Tallest Tower Competition

In a competition that ultimately crowned Frank Gehry as winner, Berlin’s Barkow Leibinger placed third with their 150-meter “faceted stacked building” proposal clad in glass. Aimed to be Berlin’s tallest building, the apartment and hotel tower is planned to be the city’s first high-rise residential development since the 1970s.

Frank Gehry Chosen to Design Berlin's Tallest Tower

Gehry Partners has been selected over David Chipperfield, Adjaye Associates and seven other practices in an invited competition for a 300-unit residential tower in Berlin. The winning proposal, deemed “the most compelling” by jury for its rotating stacks of sculptural, stone-clad cubes that rise up to 150 meters, is expected to be Berlin’s tallest skyscraper and Germany’s tallest residential tower.

“Gehry’s design is strong in visual expression and introduces an unusually eccentric, new pattern for this location. Nevertheless, the façade radiates agreeable tranquility. In addition, the design blends well with the neighborhood and conveys all aspects of metropolitan living,” commented Regula Lüscher, Senate Building Director.

Christmas Lights Berlin 2013 / Brut Deluxe by Miguel de Guzmán

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Spanish architecture photographer Miguel de Guzmán has released a new video, just in time for Christmas. The video covers three light installations in Berlin designed by Brut Deluxe: the first, a huge light dome, the second consisting of five big three-dimensional light cubes, and the third, an artificial landscape built of 50 light shrubs. All of the installations are designed to create atmospheric spaces that can be entered and experienced. Check out more of his videos here, and some great pictures of the installations after the break...

Christmas Lights Berlin 2013 / Brut Deluxe by Miguel de Guzmán - LightingChristmas Lights Berlin 2013 / Brut Deluxe by Miguel de Guzmán - LightingChristmas Lights Berlin 2013 / Brut Deluxe by Miguel de Guzmán - LightingChristmas Lights Berlin 2013 / Brut Deluxe by Miguel de Guzmán - LightingChristmas Lights Berlin 2013 / Brut Deluxe by Miguel de Guzmán - More Images+ 14

BIG, OMA, Büro-OS To Compete for New Media Campus in Berlin

UPDATE: OMA has provided more information and images of their proposal, see them after the break.

BIG, Büro Ole Scheeren, and OMA have been announced as the three finalists in the competition to design the new Media Campus for AXEL SPRINGER SE in Berlin, Germany, beating out Kuehn Malvezzi and SANAA. The final ranking will be released in January.

The new campus will be located on the historic site of the former Berlin Wall, what was once a no-man’s land. All three proposals address this contentious history as well as the demands of a 21st century workplace. President of the jury, Prof. Dr. Friedrich von Borries, proclaimed that: "All three projects show how fascinating architecture can be today. No matter which of the three proposals will be realised: The competition is already an enrichment of Berlin's building culture." See all three proposals, after the break...

BIG, OMA, Büro-OS To Compete for New Media Campus in Berlin - Image 1 of 4BIG, OMA, Büro-OS To Compete for New Media Campus in Berlin - Image 2 of 4BIG, OMA, Büro-OS To Compete for New Media Campus in Berlin - Image 3 of 4BIG, OMA, Büro-OS To Compete for New Media Campus in Berlin - Image 4 of 4BIG, OMA, Büro-OS To Compete for New Media Campus in Berlin - More Images+ 40

Daniel Libeskind Designs Apartment Building for Berlin

Studio Daniel Libeskind has released images of his latest project: a 10,000 square meter residential building planned for the center of Berlin. Occupying a half-acre corner site in the neighborhood of Chausseestrasse, “Chausseestrasse 43” will be encased by a metallic-coated ceramic facade shaped to maximize exposure to natural light.

Redefining Context with Tatiana Bilbao

The simple concrete-hewn structures designed by Tatiana Bilbao acknowledge their context in a way that most buildings don't. In a recent interview with uncube Magazine, Bilbao explains how her outlook on design shifted after she realized that "the quality of architecture relies heavily on the people who build it and what techniques and materials they are used to." And it seems this novel approach hasn't gone unnoticed - she recently showed her work at Berlin's Architekturgalerie and is on a star-studded shortlist to design the Menil Drawing Institute. Read the full interview here.

Turkish Embassy in Berlin / NSH Architekten

Turkish Embassy in Berlin / NSH Architekten - EmbassyTurkish Embassy in Berlin / NSH Architekten - EmbassyTurkish Embassy in Berlin / NSH Architekten - EmbassyTurkish Embassy in Berlin / NSH Architekten - EmbassyTurkish Embassy in Berlin / NSH Architekten - More Images+ 18

Berlín, Germany
  • Architects: NSH Architekten
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  16000
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2012

100 Urban Trends: A Glossary of Ideas

The BMW Guggenheim Lab, a mobile think-tank focused on the study of urban life, has returned to New York City for its homecoming exhibition currently on view at the Guggenheim Museum till January 5, 2014. After two years of research and touring Berlin and Mumbai, the lab aims to present major urban themes in art, architecture, education, science, sustainability and technology."100 Urban Trends: A Glossary of Ideas" is a compilation of definitions of the most pressing issues in urban centers today, contextualized to reflect how different cities interpret them. Architects, planners and students take note: From street facades to bailouts, gentrification to trash mapping, this resource archives years of discussion into one user-friendly interface. Explore the glossary, here.

Free University's Philology Library / Foster + Partners

Free University's Philology Library / Foster + Partners - UniversityFree University's Philology Library / Foster + Partners - Exterior Photography, University, CityscapeFree University's Philology Library / Foster + Partners - Interior Photography, UniversityFree University's Philology Library / Foster + Partners - UniversityFree University's Philology Library / Foster + Partners - More Images+ 25