final assignment

I hope you all arrived well in Chicago.
Back home - you look back on Berlin?
Here a little souvenir. *Anna

Flower

Flower sculpture by Jeff Koons

Boxers

The Boxers by Keith Haring

The Theory of the Bauhaus

The prestigious Bauhaus, was the school in which all of the Fine Arts and Crafts were combined. The Bahaus was mostly influenced by the lack of ornamentation which has become the International style in architecture. It was due to the modernist movement that the Bauhaus came to become one of the most famous places for the development of the arts, especially architecture.

Our trip to the Bauhaus was amazing. To learn about the different styles of architecture and how they became popular is very interesting. The ideas of the Bauhaus of combining the Arts and Crafts I think is amazing, to be able to master not only your dicipline but also to know the many other dicpiplines that can enhance your own, I believe is a very good tactic. I would love to be able to not only learn my dicipline, which is architecture, but also be exposed to the world of painting, sculpture, photography, etc... Because as architects we can benefit so much from other means of inspiration.

BAUHAUS

THE BAUHAUS MADE A NAME FOR ITSELF PRINCIPALLY AS A RESULT OF ITS AVANT-GARDE IDEAS ABOUT ART, DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE AS WELL AS FOR ITS EXCEPTIONAL CONCEPT OF TEACHING, AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH COMBINING ART WITH TECHNOLOGY. BELOW ARE THREE PICTURES FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE SCHOOL AND ONE OF KANDINSKY'S HOUSE.

Bauhaus

our trip last sunday to the bauhaus in dessau was a great experience. we had an early morning so we could make it to the early train to dessau. the train ride was fine, only about two hours. once we arrived our enthusiastic tour guide from new york met us at the train station. we then visited the federal environmental agency building, which was great. the building was implementing some great techniques for energy effeciency and green design. i wont go so much into that building as the main event was the bauhaus.


the experience at bauhaus was great seeing first hand where some of the world's greatest architects either studied or taught, as well as seeing the technology that was being implemented as such an early time. the architecture was tremendously ahead of its time and it was great to really see where modern architecture as we know it really began to get started. we also were able to see the master's houses, which were very interesting, especially the insides ie. kandinsky's golden wall. after this, our day came to a close and we got on to the train and made our way back to berlin.

Die Umwelt Bundes Amt

The environmental protection agency of Germany built a new headquarters in Dessau in 1995. This new green building was designed to be a model for construction of the future. The building has a concrete frame with a double facade of glass and wood. The colors used on the glass facade were to reflect the surroundings of the building. The glass on the side of the park was green while the glass on the side facing the rest of the city was orange to symbolize the brown and orange brick of houses.

I thought that this play with color started to be interesting, but this use of orange gives the building a sense of being outdated. To me, it seems as if it mimics the patterns of the old housing projects in East Berlin built by the Soviets. However, I really liked the use of natural wood because the exposure of sunlight in different areas created patterns of fading.

UDK Exhibit

Our experience in Berlin was broadened very greatly by our first visits to the University of Art , which is the school our studio is now meeting. The week we arrived was the students' final week of school before summer break. We attended their year end show, which was great. The experience really showed us what they were doing over here and how this related to our studies in the US. There were many things that I was completely mesmerized by, but there were also things that I have also seen in the US. Overall the school showed that their art and architecture programs are very strong and that this would be a great place to study. 

                                                    

Our assignment was to review one exhibit, and the one I chose was one that I saw in the beginning of the time we spent there. It was a piece of work that formed a picture out of three canvases and the medium that was used was either thread or a type of yarn. This really gave a great affect when looked at closely. From far away it looked like a painting or a print, but at a closer look you really see the amount of time and detail put into this artwork. The skills this student possessed and showed in their art was very impressive.

UDK Exhibition

There were many interesting projects at this exhibition, but I found this one to be one of the most intriguing. The manipulation of this single material by the postion of the connection, type of connection and the length of material created some very unique spaces inside the object. It made the overall structure very ridgid but flexible at the same time.

Art at UDK

A UDK student uses the wall as a canvas. Impressive to see how the artist was able to make a solid brick wall look like a malleable material.

Experiencing Berlin

Berlin, a city of mystery, a city consumed by wars and rebuilt from its ashes. The remains of the city are seen in every corner and the wonders of architecture that have renovated it and given it a chance for a fresh start. This city became a canvas of rubble and dust, which architects have used to create and experiment with new technologies and ideas.

The Brandenburg Gate, commissioned by Wilheim II, constructed in 1791.

The magnificent gate stands in between the east and west of berlin. The Berlin wall ran right next to the gate. The construction was meant to represent peace, and it was designed by the court superintendant of buildings, Karl Gothard Landghans.

The statue on top of the gate is the "Quadriga", it is a statue of the goddess of Peace, Eirene, a woman driving a chariot with 4 horses. A symbol which changed meanings often.

The gate was restored during the 1950's, and for 28 years after 1961 the gate became a symbol of a divided germany. It became one of the gateways to a divided nation.

Berlin is a really great city, full of great forms of architecture and rich history. It is a great experience to have the oportunity to visit Germany and be introduced to different customs, food, and architecture. I love the way the symbols of this magnificent city stand tall after facing such destruction and being reborn after the wall. To look at pictures of the original Gate and to be able to walk underneath its mended remains is amazing, its like being a part of history.

Exhibition Hall for the German Historical Museum

Architecture by Ieoh Ming Pei

Designed to house temporary exhibitions, the annex has surprising views of the urban surroundings. I. M. Pei has used deliberated visual axes to create an architectural correspondence between historical and contemporary structures. Two important element’s in Pei’s overall concept are the underground link between the new and the old building and the glass dome for the Schlüter Courtyard.

My Welcome and First Assignment

Although we are a week into our time here in Berlin, this is my first blog post. It has been a very busy and eventful week here. The culture is great and the architecture is even better. We have been traveling all over Berlin, seeing some great buildings and enjoying the German culture and the food of course. We have even extended our travels now to Dessau to view the Bauhaus, which we will be posting about soon. 

My first assignment is to write about the Academy of Art here in Berlin located in Pariser Platz, very close to the Brandenburg Gate. The area is spectacular; there are many museums nearby, as well as the DZ bank designed by Frank Gehry which is next door. The US and French embassies are nearby as well, and of course a Starbucks is across the street. We can't get away from them. 

The history of the Academy of the Arts started in 1696 when it was established by Friedrich III as the Prussian Academy of Arts. Around 1945 the Academy of Arts headquarters was destroyed, and while there were many intermediate steps and buildings the building I am reviewing was built in 2005 by architect Gunter Behnisch. The main tasks of the Academy of the Art are representation of Germany in the fields of art and culture, promotion of art, to advocate arts within society, to advance national cultural developments, preservation of the national cultural heritage, and advice to the Federal Republic of Germany in terms of arts and culture (Cite)  

                                                     

The facade of the building is all glass, which in Berlin, is nothing extraordinary. One is not overwhelmed by the architecture until walking up the stairs and looking up at the confusion of stairways and different areas for different uses. There is a great use of mirrors and glass, so as one looks up the different areas and walls are not very distinct and begin to get lost and blend into each other. The rest of the building was not as impressive, but there was a nice path on the second floor leading to the back of the building that acted as a balcony so one could overlook exhibits that would be shown on the first floor. Overall, I enjoyed experiencing this building and would love to start seeing interiors like this in the US.

                                   

Das Reichstagsgebäude

Construction of the Reichstagbuilding was started in 1871 and completed in 1894. The building was originally designed to hold the german parliment, referred to as the Reichstag. In 1933 the building mysteriously started on fire and the reichstag was desolved. The third reich took over control as the country geared up for the second world war. The building was never repaired, and after the bombing of berlin in 1945 in layed in ruins. It wasn't rebuilt until 1961, and then was only used for some ocassional meetings. Finally in 1991 the german parliment, now called the Bundestag, came back to the Reichstagbuilding. In the mid 90s the building was gutted and an entire new infrastructure was built. A new dome was also placed upon the top of the Reichstag. This dome gives people the oppertunity to look down into the hall of parliment and also get a great view of Berlin.

The pediment and columns of this neoclassical building have an impressive stance against the windows. The window panes are very wide and are not disturbed by frames as in the original building. This openness really makes the columns pop out against the blue hue of the laminated glass. The glass gives the building a modern touch, and some insight to the new look of the interior, while not compromising the integrity of the old design.

Welcome Dinner Berlin

Welcome Dinner Berlin

Mitte Fernsehturm

Welcome to our studioBerlin Blog

The School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago is
pleased to offer a design workshop in Berlin, Germany during the summer of 2008.

The Studio Berlin Workshop will be an intense city experience ranging from historical tours and building site visits to a design challenge and exhibition. Highlighted site tours will include Potsdamer Platz, Bauhaus in Dessau, Museum Island Mitte and Potsdam.

The workshops' objectives are to define Berlin's current existence by observing conditions and activities in an effort to develop and better understand an urban response. We will implement temporary solutions and develop a strategy for urban development within specific sites. The sites for research are located at the deeply embedded historical city center and include: the Eastern Banks of the Spree - Treptow, Lehrter Bahnhof - Heidestrasse, Tempelhof Airport and the former site of the Palace of the Republic. The workshop will conclude with an exhibition of the research and studio work.

Our first meeting in Chicago
Our first meeting took place in Chicago on June 21st. Our urban pioneers include Joe, Jacob, Sandro and Tania. Everyone immediately displayed an enthusiasm for the workshop and a camaraderie that will surely make their experience in Berlin memorable. We will be meeting in Chicago two more times before we depart for Berlin on July 14th. Please follow our experience as we update our blog throughout the month of July and August. We will be posting images and videos from our tours and presentations. We also would like to thank all of you who have helped make this workshop possible. A special thanks to Vince, we look forward seeing you in the fall, thank you again for all your help . We would also like to thank Autodesk for supporting our workshop by suppling Autodesk Revit, Autodesk Autocad and Autodesk 3ds Max.