Assignment 02 - Individual Design
Gleisdreieck

This proposal for the abandoned track area between Beach Park 61 and the former golf driving range near the Gleisdriek U bahn stop considers the impact of 'path' in the space.  Existing as well as new points of entry are connected by means of undulating boardwalks which themselves refer to the former use of the space as they align with the locations of the former rail tracks.  Spaces for gathering, performance, and recreation are created between the intersecting paths while an overhead canopy shades and illuminates these spaces. These canopies work to define specific intimate areas in this otherwise overwhelming space. 

Assignment 01 - Historical Research
Reichstag
Many different sections of the parliament were scattered throughout Leipziger Strasse and in 18XX, the German Parliament decided it better to consolidate. The Reichstag, built in 1884, was designed by Paul Wallot and commissioned to house all sections of the German Parliament.

In 1916, “Dem Deutschen Volk” (To the German People) was added to the front façade of the Reichstag, commemorating the German People. This was much to the dismay of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

During WWII, the Nazis confiscated and occupied the Reichstag and In 1933, after Hitler’s seizure of power and the Reichstag was severely burned and destroyed, the building came to symbolize the death of parliamentary democracy in Germany.

In 1945, after the end of the war, the Reichstag stood in ruins and in 1949 the Bundestag moved to Bonn.

1990- after the fall of the Berlin wall the government moves back to Berlin from Bon and commissions a master plan for the district, an area vacant due to the way which it was surrounded by the Berlin Wall.
1993- Axel Schultes wins the competition with a plan that includes renovating the Reichstag for future use. He names this plan the Ban des Buldes- (Band of Federal Buildings)
1993- Norman Foster receives commission to renovate the Reichstag.

In 1995, just before reconstruction was about to begin, Christo and Jeanne-Claude was commissioned a temporary 2 week installation to wrap the Richstag. This installation attracted hundreds of thousands of people around the world and, in a way, represented the rebirth of the German Parliament and the Reichstag building.

In 1999, Fosters glass cupola and Reichstag renovation was complete and once again, the Bundestag opened in Berlin. Foster's dome is a gleaming metal and glass structure with a ramp that spirals up a to a roof terrace with 360-degree views of central Berlin. The dome overlooks the debating chamber for the Bundestag and a central mirrored cone draws light into the plenary chamber. The glass cupola represented openness, honesty and transparency, emphasizing that the Parliament has nothing to hide. The design also preserves remnants of the building's colorful past, including graffiti left by the Red Army in 1945.

1993- Axel Schultes receives commission for the first new building in the complex, the Chancellery building.

Chancellery Building
2001- Chancellery building, the German 'white house' opens for use. The building is roughly 8x larger than the American White House and displays typical postmodern characteristics. The duality of program is obvious in the massing with a central cube of chancellor offices and conference rooms with flanking wings of administrative offices. The geometric massing of the building explores ideas of contained volume with the central cube existing as a volume within a volume. Cylindrical stairs are held within this larger cubic mass. The western facade is porous allowing views and light into the building yet the main entry does not align with this main axis. The scale of the building is large to rival that of the nearby Reichstag yet has been criticized as being oddly proportioned and referred to as the 'gigantic washing machiene' and 'like a cow in a field.'

Paul Löbe Haus
The Paul Löbe Haus, designed by Stephan Braunfels, was commissioned in 1994 and opened in 2001. Paul Löbe was the last democratic President of the Reichstag. Biodiesel and photovoltaic panels on the roof are just two of the impressive sustainable achievements within this project. Devoid of ornamentation, this building provides a strong, stark urban image, using the cube, circle and cylinder. This building houses three major parts of government: parliamentary committees, public relations division and visitors services.

Marie Elizabeth Luders Haus
1996- Stephan Braunfels wins commission for the Marie Elizabeth Luders Haus
2003- Luders Haus is completed. This building, lying on the east side of the river, in what was east Germany, metaphorically as well as physically stitches both sides of Berlin together. The facility contains leisure and sporting spaces for the government employees as well as the world's largest parliamentary library, conference spaces, exhibition spaces and information center. Marie, Elizabeth Luders, the building's namesake, was a member of the Reichstag in the 1920's and 1930's. Her political activism on the issues of women's rights and unemployment led to her eviction from the government body and earned her a 4 month stay in solitary confinement in 1933. Braunfels buildings are bot devoid of ornament so as not to compete with the Reichstag. The facade nearest the Reichstag is heavily glazed allowing views and reflections of the historical building while the opposite facade is more closed. An open coffered ceiling covers the large exterior stair with views onto the river. Open to the public, this stair is popular for its moving and changing lighting conditions and views of the federal building complex.

Assignment 02 - Individual Design
Gleisdreieck

This proposal for the abandoned track area between Beach Park 61 and the former golf driving range near the Gleisdriek U bahn stop considers the impact of 'path' in the space.  Existing as well as new points of entry are connected by means of undulating boardwalks which themselves refer to the former use of the space as they align with the locations of the former rail tracks.  Spaces for gathering, performance, and recreation are created between the intersecting paths while an overhead canopy shades and illuminates these spaces. These canopies work to define specific intimate areas in this otherwise overwhelming space. 

Assignment 01 - Historical Research
Reichstag
Many different sections of the parliament were scattered throughout Leipziger Strasse and in 18XX, the German Parliament decided it better to consolidate. The Reichstag, built in 1884, was designed by Paul Wallot and commissioned to house all sections of the German Parliament.

In 1916, “Dem Deutschen Volk” (To the German People) was added to the front façade of the Reichstag, commemorating the German People. This was much to the dismay of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

During WWII, the Nazis confiscated and occupied the Reichstag and In 1933, after Hitler’s seizure of power and the Reichstag was severely burned and destroyed, the building came to symbolize the death of parliamentary democracy in Germany.

In 1945, after the end of the war, the Reichstag stood in ruins and in 1949 the Bundestag moved to Bonn.

1990- after the fall of the Berlin wall the government moves back to Berlin from Bon and commissions a master plan for the district, an area vacant due to the way which it was surrounded by the Berlin Wall.
1993- Axel Schultes wins the competition with a plan that includes renovating the Reichstag for future use. He names this plan the Ban des Buldes- (Band of Federal Buildings)
1993- Norman Foster receives commission to renovate the Reichstag.

In 1995, just before reconstruction was about to begin, Christo and Jeanne-Claude was commissioned a temporary 2 week installation to wrap the Richstag. This installation attracted hundreds of thousands of people around the world and, in a way, represented the rebirth of the German Parliament and the Reichstag building.

In 1999, Fosters glass cupola and Reichstag renovation was complete and once again, the Bundestag opened in Berlin. Foster's dome is a gleaming metal and glass structure with a ramp that spirals up a to a roof terrace with 360-degree views of central Berlin. The dome overlooks the debating chamber for the Bundestag and a central mirrored cone draws light into the plenary chamber. The glass cupola represented openness, honesty and transparency, emphasizing that the Parliament has nothing to hide. The design also preserves remnants of the building's colorful past, including graffiti left by the Red Army in 1945.

1993- Axel Schultes receives commission for the first new building in the complex, the Chancellery building.

Chancellery Building
2001- Chancellery building, the German 'white house' opens for use. The building is roughly 8x larger than the American White House and displays typical postmodern characteristics. The duality of program is obvious in the massing with a central cube of chancellor offices and conference rooms with flanking wings of administrative offices. The geometric massing of the building explores ideas of contained volume with the central cube existing as a volume within a volume. Cylindrical stairs are held within this larger cubic mass. The western facade is porous allowing views and light into the building yet the main entry does not align with this main axis. The scale of the building is large to rival that of the nearby Reichstag yet has been criticized as being oddly proportioned and referred to as the 'gigantic washing machiene' and 'like a cow in a field.'

Paul Löbe Haus
The Paul Löbe Haus, designed by Stephan Braunfels, was commissioned in 1994 and opened in 2001. Paul Löbe was the last democratic President of the Reichstag. Biodiesel and photovoltaic panels on the roof are just two of the impressive sustainable achievements within this project. Devoid of ornamentation, this building provides a strong, stark urban image, using the cube, circle and cylinder. This building houses three major parts of government: parliamentary committees, public relations division and visitors services.

Marie Elizabeth Luders Haus
1996- Stephan Braunfels wins commission for the Marie Elizabeth Luders Haus
2003- Luders Haus is completed. This building, lying on the east side of the river, in what was east Germany, metaphorically as well as physically stitches both sides of Berlin together. The facility contains leisure and sporting spaces for the government employees as well as the world's largest parliamentary library, conference spaces, exhibition spaces and information center. Marie, Elizabeth Luders, the building's namesake, was a member of the Reichstag in the 1920's and 1930's. Her political activism on the issues of women's rights and unemployment led to her eviction from the government body and earned her a 4 month stay in solitary confinement in 1933. Braunfels buildings are bot devoid of ornament so as not to compete with the Reichstag. The facade nearest the Reichstag is heavily glazed allowing views and reflections of the historical building while the opposite facade is more closed. An open coffered ceiling covers the large exterior stair with views onto the river. Open to the public, this stair is popular for its moving and changing lighting conditions and views of the federal building complex.