© 2007 Institute of Current World Affairs
The Institute awards long-term fellowships to develop a deep understanding of an issue, country, or region outside the US and to share that understanding with a wider public.
Institute of Current World Affairs - Home Page

Below is a hobbled text version of a PDF document.
In order to read the actual document please click the link below and register if necessary.
(One-time registration is free and very quick.)
Read article

8/1/2005 - Finding a Hypothesis in the City of Failed Plans: The New House on Auguststraße by Jill Winder

ICWA LETTERS Since Institute Current World Affairs Crane Rogers Foundation provided fellowships enable outstanding young professionals outside United States write about international areas issues An exempt operating foundation endowed Charles R Crane Institute supported contributions minded individuals foundations TRUSTEES Bryn Barnard Joseph Battat Mary Lynne Bird Steven Butler Sharon F Doorasamy Peter Geithner Gary Hartshorn Katherine Roth Kono Cheng Li Peter Bird Martin Dasa Obereigner Richard Z Robinson Carol Rose John Spencer Edmund Sutton HONORARY TRUSTEES David Elliot David Hapgood Pat M Holt Edwin S Munger Richard H Nolte Albert Ravenholt Phillips Talbot Institute Current World Affairs The Crane Rogers Foundation Four West Wheelock Street Hanover New Hampshire 03755 U S A JW GERMANY Jill Winder Donors Fellow Institute studying reunif ication Germany through attitudes artists Finding Hypothesis City Failed Plans The New House Auguststra By Jill Winder AUGUST BERLIN During Weimar philosopher Ernst Bloch wrote Berlin constant perpetual state becoming Berlin regularly called failed plans Varying ideologies their course century monuments Prussian militarism Wilhelmine classicism Weimar modernism Nazi classicism Communist social housing blocks contemporary architectural monstrosities Potsdamer Platz symbol hoped start This mecca architecture enthusiasts showcasing architectural design disasters equal measure Berlin architects capita other Germany Encouraged promise Wall flocked Berlin great numbers early 1990s Even economy soured ployment soared among swanky office buildings center vacant architects remained fueled chaos promise singularly strange Architect Philipp Oswalt characterizes evolution Berlin accidental evolution driven fickle nature power exemplary Germany historical drama With tradition identity Ber absorbed powers twentieth century unlike other first monarchy World War revolution fascism Stalinism Cold War finally dissolution East West confrontation The accidental effects political economic military activities shaped What gives Berlin result ideal plans organic growth In peated processes reinvention destruction construction original inten tions grand plans In stead Berlin formed automatic urbanism Berlin experiment without hypothesis Architect J Ebers front It young architect distinctive voice cacophony create building hypothesis urban experiment Ber Auguststra embodies J Ebers architect Photo J managed craft intriguing archi tectural proposition through intensely personal building himself Ebers On Auguststra famed streets Berlin central trict Mitte contemporary building covered green Philpp Oswalt Berlin_Stadt Form Strategien einer anderen Architektur Munich Prestel translation mosaic tiles punctu large asymmetrical squarely company century buildings ornately carved moldings recent style apartments An utterly unique structure manages exist competing architec tural styles setting apart while words designer maintaining versation buildings round If story behind building renaissance Mitte chapters narrative Auguststra central character When Berlin Wall Mitte The historical Jewish quarter suffered severe damage World War II surrounded sides Wall In reunified Berlin Mitte suddenly geographical heart populated dilapidated buildings quickly taken squatters trans formed housing clubs leries Galerie EIGEN Art important galleries Berlin cated Auguststra years established contemporary center Kunst Werke founded illegal artists squat EIGEN Art Kunst Werke function anchors making Auguststra first checking contemporary Mitte Chic cafes restaurants other galleries lesser repute fashion boutiques followed making street today During early 1990s tempo illegal buildings street prevailed where Ebers built house stood empty The first legendary Cookies nightclub cellar building vacant where Ebers house would later stand Mitte notorious party plots The always empty Around during Berlin first urban booms family built Damaged bombing during WWII ruins collected building material during WWII reconstruction Soon nothing structure remained In unusual twist owners building moved West Germany B Wall built still title property willing Ebers inquired about space The reason premium center remained became clear deemed unfit building state authorities cause unusually small approxi mately At centrally located considered building small ground The purchase price flecting limited tremely Excited about central location premium address daunted Ebers bought vinced could resource around regulations For Ebers studied architecture University College London Uni versity Fine Arts Berlin modest blessing lenge The Ebers approach think about building scale reflects people inhabit space He manageable first major building project The challenges First JW architecture create building expanded advantage square available inventive second design would strict In where intense sentimen tality nostalgia Altbau apartments competes equally strong tradition modern contemporary architecture Ebers thought cally design could insert itself Obviously remaking interesting chitectural point neither contemporary buildings house meant foreign degree relation other houses While might criticize result vanity project anyone knows Ebers hears about creative process thinks otherw When discussing Auguststra Ebers noted buildings street originally owned families lived house sometimes renting owners sense responsibility toward their location their place renter community I built house sense responsibility space investment neighborhood Ebers generated building dozens varia tions handcrafting architectural models where various elements structure could interchanged configurations imagined At every stage neighboring buildings account creating details shifting ments struc would challenge monize surroundings But subject project labor house interior I thought about complex inner building first Ebers plain Sitting living surrounded building models brought storage architect likened process designing house tailor While practicing architects within visions parameters their clients creating space house yourself unusual without existential dimen Ebers joked times process seemed close acting psychologist After extensive research intricate rules regulations building authority Ebers could legally accommodate building strict regulations relating buildings apartments With blueprints charisma finally received necessary missions permits various latory agencies process longer build house itself Nearly three years transpired between purchase building completio Ebers moved little July While reluctant price finished product Ebers offer square meter commensu other estate View during construction Photo J Ebers INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS View Ebers building located between renovated early century house renowned gallery EIGEN Art right striking because house specialized tails architectural innovations One favorite cafes Ruz directly across street Ebers house Over course multiple coffees I hundreds people build Almost without exception stare small round glass windows rather vault heavy their fingers prising tiled curiously plates On street building presents itself secretive large windows provide apartments while smooth unbroken protectively encloses Ebers decided include retail space plans there would public building place where interested parties could access without infringing privacy required private residences The ground floor boutique currently housing designer Claudia Hill clothing seamlessly other shops galleries street where pedestrians perusing items A rented studio apartment located second floor levels function dependent family house Ebers domain Entering building encounter beautiful sculptural staircase curve light olive green lined bottom concrete corrugated texture It winds second floor apartment other flight Ebers front The unusual sweep stairs continued house itself pearing white Once inside nearly impossible explain intricate configuration levels rooms Ebers photographs cannot entirely capture organic fluidity tension created between seemingly contradictory poles privacy intimacy transparency access Technically house comprises square stories seven levels found within And split level doesn justice nizing principle least I associate suburban house I built endlessly repeated entire block house The power rooms Ebers house totally defined their functions Uses pletely predetermined flexible people rally through space fluid organic ating constant traffic between rooms house The organization rooms unusual particularly because nearly apart ments built based standard legally minimums certain spaces bedroom bathroom other predetermined dictating rooms layout apartments arbitrary often ignores ideal space various functions In Ebers space apportioned based importance certain functions cooking relaxing reading sleeping washing The resulting spatial relationships utterly surprising All seven levels layered Wherever house least other floor directly visible Borders between inside opaque thresh always penetrable As Ebers explains Through levels space relatively small amount square footage becomes quite generous allows communication Flow openness house least twice large actually Ebers spoken character person ality architecture early which certainly encouraged development innate sense spective space My parents hired interesting archi tects build family Krefeld holiday Majorca Spain That definitely aware space different When asked about earli interest architecture Ebers replied smile I remember being small lying floor pitched ceiling house I spent hours visualizing I could around right I suppose could early architectural thought You enter house middle level small hallway leading stairs living To right guest winding JW staircase continues level Varying ceiling heights nearly living other areas close spaces where niches nooks create intimate corner large rooms In statement magazine Radius Berlin Ebers plained overall concept The interior consists personal spaces various spatial volumes habitable pieces furniture intimate spaces proportions human stacked levels complex fields lines vision opening scenarios allowing treasured personal niches house ledges kitchen flower cubicle corrugated concrete store spaces In living approximately square example large window dominates which Ebers meant function furniture The large white square small library containing shelves single chair The walls painted green shade found stairs outside entrance ceiling height The shift scale creates totally different osphere found living instead modern gallery instantly transported warmth which reminded rustic cabin Color significant throughout house which Ebers furnished himself averse Another historical reference hidden house stairs leading bathroom guest bedroom The arrangement mimics design Ebers favorite Berlin shops where ground floor commercial space short staircase steps would owner private living quarters trend hiring outside interior decorator where prising textures materials mixed matched often paired design details elements 1950s modernism favorite period architect The create retro style include small tails which familiar comforting where quite place association specific period One example structure metal separates space kitchen allowing living typical touch looks classic utterly Moving level curved staircase enter kitchen heart house That kitchen pride place surprising Ebers passionate about cooking dinner parties known received house itself responded question What Cooking recipes poetry The square sides large facing courtyard fills other partially providing through metal details living below A relatively concrete ceiling opens kitchen creating vault painted brilliant ocean leading glass panel exposes bathroom master INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS bedroom level outside terrace other direction Two elements seemingly clash liantly paired kitchen concrete treated In contrast living aesthetic kitchen modest hunting lodge where surrounds Storage shelves appliances hidden behind oiled panels textured compliment corrugated concrete kitchen walls A large green kitchen island housing range storage drawers space turned around completely changing propor tions arrangement On level master bedroom found again contrasts striking We shift textured complex arrangement heights rials kitchen white walls reminiscent staircase hallways living The bedroom sparsely decorated nated white It almos clinical sanatorium emphasized ments white antique apothecary chest Yet austere passes luxurious Japanese floor green tiles glass space everything sensuality exposure Suffice large outdoor terrace accessible through sitting master staircase providing degree views Ber integral parts house which constantly offer access provide other areas commu gathering Ebers architecture Ebers Architekten enjoyed plenty attention since house finished He currently designing private apartments Berlin Ham He written about fluential architectural magazines AD local international press awarded Bauwelt Preis house The shared consens among experts admiring passers alike Ebers managed build something authenti cally innovative accolade architects garner Berlin today In review appeared influential Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung March critic Niklas Maak optimistically wrote Ebers building hopeful matic intelligent architecture After first project striking result hopes Ebers buildings Berlin badly unique vision sensitivity wards possibility ideas As house clearly announces Ebers created hypothesis JW INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS Current Fellows their Activities Alexander Brenner June CHINA With B A History Yale M A China Studies Johns Hopkins School Advanced International Studies Alex China examining count adapting economic cultural globalization following accession World Trade Organization Richard D Connerney January INDIA A lecturer Philosophy Asian Religions Philosophy Rutgers Iona College University Hawaii Manoa Rick Connerney spending years Phillips Talbot Fellow studying writing about intertwining religion culture politics India described former U S Ambassador John Kenneth Galbraith functioning anarchy Rick B A M A religion Wheaton College University Hawaii respectively Kay Dilday October FRANCE MOROCCO An editor New York Times Op Ed years Kay holds M A Comparative International Politics Theory Graduate Center City University New York Bachelor degree English Literature Tufts University graduate Universiteit Amsterdam Netherla Cours Civilisation Sorbonne She traveled written Haiti began jouralistic council reporter Somerville This Week Somerville MA Cristina Merrill June ROMANIA Born Bucharest Cristina moved Romania United States mother father Learning English retaining Romanian majored American History Harvard College there became captain women tennis She received Master degree Journalism New York University worked several U S publications Adweek New York Times spending years Romania watching emerge darkness Ceauscescu regime presumed light membership European Union NATO Nicholas Schmidle October IRAN A journalist researcher Pew Forum Religious Public Life Nick finishing Master program Comparative Regional Studies Middle East Central Asia American University Washington DC He studying intensive Persian fiancee Rikki Bohan anticipation departure Iran after marriage autumn Andrew J Tabler February SYRIA LEBANON Andrew lived studied worked Middle East since Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Fellowship enabled begin Arabic language studies toward Master degree American University Cairo Following Master editorships Middle East Times Cairo Times before moving Turkey Lebanon Syria working Senior Editor Oxford Business Group correspondent Economist Intelligence Unit His ICWA fellowship bases Beirut Damascus where report Lebanese affairs Syrian reform Jill Winder July GERMANY With B A politics Whitman College Walla Walla WA Master degree Art Curating Bard Coll Annandale Hudson NY Jill ICWA Donors Fellow looking Germany through ideas viewpoints contemporary artists Before months intensive study German language Berlin Thomas J Watson Fellow looking communist practice cultural politics transition former Soviet Czech Republic Slovakia Poland Croatia Hungary Latvia Romania Slovenia Ukraine Institute Fellows chosen basis character previous experience promise They young professionals funded spend minimum years carrying designed programs study writing outside United States The Fellows required report their findings experiences field month They write subject formally infor mally The result unique reporting analysis periodic assess international events issues Author Winder Jill Title ICWA Letters Europe Russia ISSN Imprint Institute Current World Affairs Hanover NH Material Type Serial Language English Frequency Monthly Other Regions South Asia East Asia The Americas Mideast North Africa Sub Saharan Africa ICWA Letters ISSN published Institute Current World Affairs Inc exempt operating foundation incorporated New York State offices located West Wheelock Street Hanover NH 03755 The letters provided charge members ICWA available libraries fessional researchers subscription Phone Fax E Mail valley Web address Executive Director Peter Bird Martin Program Assistant Brent Jacobson Administrative Publications Manager Ellen Kozak Institute Current World Af fairs The Crane Rogers Foundation The Information contained lication reprinted published without express written consent Institute Current World Affairs