Am Tacheles
In hardly any other city are the layers of local history – whether the legacy of development or destruction – as clearly and ubiquitously legible as in Berlin. The resulting built fabric, assembled and moulded by a variety of urban and architectural influences, is marked by the deeply ingrained scars of the Second World War, the post-war years and the divided city. Gap sites long dominated vast swathes of the Berlin cityscape. The wastelands held enormous potential, and the resulting creative scope and open-minded outlook were exploited in a diversity of ways. Berlin became both a field of experimentation for urban planners and architects, and a playground for culture and sub-culture. The Am Tacheles site is one of the last big gap sites in Berlin’s Mitte district. At the time we were appointed to design the development scheme, half of the existing site was used as a car park and the rest abandoned to nature. A large derelict area sat at the centre of a trapezoidal urban block framed by Friedrichstrasse, Oranienburger Strasse, Johannisstrasse and Tucholskystrasse. Only the three extreme corners of the perimeter block were developed and occupied.
Перейти к оригиналу