Spreebogen

BERLIN, GERMANY, 1991

This competition project for a new administrative district in Berlin attempted to reinforce a democratic environment by expanding the precinct to the scale and complexity of a neighborhood. The overall strategy involved providing a surfeit of building in relatively compact increments to both establish a compact scale and to encourage coalition and consensus in the occupation. Public gathering spaces are provided at many scales, including a long arcade through the main range of parliamentary offices and a series of spaces meant to evoke such familiar public places as Harvard Yard, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the Washington Mall, and the Piazza Navonna. These are not reproduced in any direct way but are invoked in spirit and use. The range of spaces is intended to support spontaneous gatherings and demonstrations at a wide variety of scales.

Credits: Michael Sorkin, Andrei Vovk