A rest-stop on Berlin’s 127th Street. Little in common with Harlem.

In approaching a publication like Disko a more intense quality of research is needed than might otherwise go into a typical article on this site. Recognising this, and the need to explore semiotically challenging terrain, the SLAB editorial team decided to conduct a two-day field trip along the length of the old Berlin Wall using a quad bike and a beach buggy. Seeing as the old Death Strip is now a cycle path and a richly varied biotope, any difficulties arrising from our choice of transportation would become dramatic devices, exploitable at a later date. It was also of upmost importance to make a hell of a lot of noise with a couple of two-stroke engines.

The ultimate cul-de-sac

We explored the ultimate cul-de-sac, the so-called “duck’s beak” which is a dead-end street that was surrounded by the Wall on three sides, resulting in a narrow East German enclave which jutted 530 meters into West Berlin. Here we discovered Helmut-Kohl-era BRD concrete villas with orange awnings, and the post-reunification ‘shateux’ of a retired footballer.

Camping on the former death strip

We camped out on a football pitch on the former death strip, and reflected upon the 3% of landmines still unaccounted for twenty years after demilitarisation. People walk their dogs here at 5am.

This is what you do field trips for

We struck architectural gold in our discovery of this el Cheapo Site style rip-off. This was in a light industrial estate specialising in discount denim products and roof tiles.

We set off with no coherent thesis, and returned with no consistent conclusion, but certainly with enough material to compile an engaging documentation. This article, then, should be seen as a kind of trailer for our issue of Disko, which will appear towards the end of the year, and will, doubtless, be touted by us doggedly up to and beyond publication date.

The diguises fall into two categories: cloaks and costumes, and with ‘cloak’ I mean the science fiction variety; an invisibility shield.

The doric order shithouse

The BVG, Berlin’s public transport network operator, have been busy building toilets for its bus and tram drivers across the city. Whilst taking the picture above, I got chatting to a tram driver seeking relief at a terminal stop at Nordbahnhof. He told me that all the BVG loos have been decorated differently. Which means we won’t need to put up with badly painted Roman temples, but a wide variety of shakey costume architectural parodies. Whilst I dig the idea, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. However, I must admit to being fascinated by the positioning of the two tell-tale, off-the-shelf vent coverings, which look as though they were added after the paint job.

Convenient canvas

Out in Fürstenberg, a small town 75km north of Berlin, some wag has produced a stunning portrait of SpongeBob Squarepants using a ubiquitous curb-side Grey Box as a conveniently shaped canvas.

The Lennon box

Another costume, produced, one assumes, by an anonymous pupil of the John Lenon Secondary School in Berlin’s Mitte district. For me, this marks an artistic zenith in the quiet conflict which has been waging for months between sprayers and Deutsche Telekom buffers. I’m hoping this piece of urban decoration will be lasting, but some other can-weilding cretin has already blemished the piece since the photo was taken.

The stealth cottage is visible enough not to be seen

I’m going to leave this meander with another example from the countryside: this time from Neuglobsow, a lakeside hamlet close to SpongeBob’s home town, and a great example of a ‘cloaked’ hut. It turned out to be an electrical substation, and obviously one of such aesthetic embarrasment to this history-conscious community that it was worth disguising as a timber frame cottage. Apart from the exaggerated perspective, and the peculiarly uninterrupted view of a distant lake, the effect is pretty convincing even from a distance of just two meters. So absorbing is this example, that the undisguied Grey Box to the right goes by unnoticed. Paradoxes abound.

For me this is all about a healthy erosion of the boundry between individuals and the civic infrastructure. Regardless of whether the decorattion of these non-descript structures is legal or illegal, it’s a way of reclaiming the streets and turning them into an extension of private domestic space. Customisation and reappropriation of that which is nominally out of bounds is a reaffirmation that the place you call home extends beyond the four walls of your dwelling.

Thanks to esteemed colleague Mr Buhr, who kicks off this new SLAB Collection with the above photo he recently submitted. This series will probe the challenging aesthetic dimension of damage in modern façade design, and in doing so will debunk the authority of the surface in contemporary architecture. It will also be good for a whole bunch of laughs.

Let’s go at this one layer for layer. First there’s the smeggy, cream-cheese surface treatment; the exterior equivalent of anaglypta wallpaper and just as soul destroying. Below this a chalky crust of hardened powder has been adhered to a flimsy aluminium mesh, underneath which everything becomes rather obscene looking. I should imagine that the mud-encrusted anus of a Merino sheep is not dissimilar in appearence.

Judging by the subtle dent in the blue metal surface, this is probably a door frame which has been rear-ended by some motor vehicle or other. The resulting scar is a vulgar reminder of what is keeping modern homo-sapiens safe from the elements, and poses the quesiton of whether or not we are happy for our most visible of art forms to appear as if it has been congealed rather than composed.

→ The “Modern Façades Today Now” Collection

There’s something rather touching about graffiti in the provinces, such as the two sad examples here which I snapped in Bonlanden. As a product of American inner cities, graffiti is probably still sufficiently alien to shock the older inhabitants of a small village. But as a city dweller, able to read the cultural signs, it is reduced to pathetic pre-pubescent posturing. You just want to take that young sprayer under your wing, and fix them up with some propper tuition on the mean streets of downtown Stuttgart.

An orthographic ghetto, one assumes

The appropriation of “Westside” as a motif is so ironic in the context of Bonlanden. At little over 900 meters wide, the village doesn’t exactly offer much territory for the budding warlord to fight over. Judging by the droopy arrows, the unfortunately spelt “Getto Gang” seems to be the work of the same author.

But villages can be pretty sinister places – German ones especially so – which sometimes feel as alien to me as, say, Brooklyn might to a resident of this community. I have to wonder what’s going on behind all those beady-eyed windows with their net curtain veils and shutters. Maybe some multi-generational turf war really is being faught at municipal level between the families of local politicians, and the graffiti is just the tip of the iceberg; its juvenile mode of expression refracted through the lens of hip-hop culture.

So, here’s what happened

On Monday 19th April a senate organised “Baukollegium” was held, where Robert Slinger, Florian Kohl and Matthias Reese presented the case for Hejduk’s “Tower With Wings” to Senate Building Director, Regula Lüscher and others. At this meeting they gave a general presentation about the history of the building, and the context in which it was built. They also read out a letter penned by Renata Hejduk, who had intended to come to Berlin, but had been held back by recent volcanic activity, and delivered the petition. Present too, was the building’s new owner.

Hejduk’s colour for Berlin: RAL 6011

The 3000 signatures gathered in support of the buidling, were literally a weighty indicator to the Kollegium and its panel of experts that informed opinion held the changes for a defacement of Berlin’s cultural heritage. In short, the petition helped to turn around a situation in which Mr Prajs wasn’t actaully legally required to seek anyone’s approval.

Results of the meeting were announced in the Berliner Morgenpost on the 24th April in the form of an interview with Frau Lüscher: the building is to be restored to its original design, including the colour scheme – which of course means that the removed balconies will need to be rebuilt.

An unexpected twist

As if this weren’t good enough by itself – and this is where the story takes a really unexpected twist – two pavillions designed by Hejduk could now end up being built on the scrappy bit of land in front of the building, thus “completing” the ensemble. Robert Slinger of Kapok proposed the idea in a mail written to Hejduk three weeks ago. Although he seemd to think the idea was a bit of a pipe dream, it was clear that realising these structures would make perfect sense in the context of a public park. Funding might well also be secured out of a pot set aside for urban parks and public spaces.

Hekduk’s x-ray drawings of the Tower with its two pavillions

The two pavillions, “Studio for the painter”, and “Studio for the musician” were both exhibited as centerpieces in 1987 IBA exhibition held at the Martin Gropius Building in Berlin. Why they never made it from the museum to the street isn’t clear, but I can well imagine that they probably just looked too damned scary. Robert Slinger offered a more practical reason when we chatted last weekend: if built at the scale suggested by Hejduk, the pavillions would have to confirm to all the regulations to which a ‘normal’ building must abide. Fire safety and questions of maintenance, ownership and access all come to mind. Shrink the pavillions to the size of sculptures though, and the idea dies.

Asides

I’d like to quickly go back to the Baukollegium. One salacious detail about the meeting is that the tower’s new owner, Mr Sruel Prajs, turned up with absolutely no defence prepared for the changes made to the building. He simply didn’t know what he’d aquired, which seems a little odd. Is a passing knowledge of architecture not required of property dealers, in the same way that, say, a fishmonger knows a thing or two about fish? No wonder they talk about ‘objects’.

Admittedly, defending one’s own ignorance is a hard thing to do, but an honest answer would have had some dignity. If I might be allowed to speculate for a moment, it’s worth noting that the Berlinhaus’s offices are located in a building next to Hejduk’s tower. It’s a detail I hadn’t noticed whilst the campaign was hotting up, but maybe the reason for the white paint job and pink balconies was to pretty-up the view from Prajs’ office window. A bone-headed whim. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, this sounds like a case of “a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Signs and signifiers

Just out of interest, I dropped by BerlinHaus’ office building the other week. I’m not sure why. Probably a bit like when Columbo makes a false exit, then comes back to his suspect and says “just one more thing …” Maybe I was childishly looking for a detail which would smugly confirm my worst suspicions about a property dealer. But a quick look at the company’s sign made details irrelevant:

The many faces of BerlinHaus

Chasing down evidence to support your own grim world-view can fill you with a great sense of purpose. But having all your darkest prejudices confirmed so swiftly is thoroughly deflating. I mean: thirty-six companies? Alright: it doesn’t have to mean there’s something dubious going on. But there’ll be a benefit to it which far outweighs the disadvantages of a complicated tax-return.

There have been a handful of positive developments in the continuing campaign against the blandification of John Hejduk’s tower:

Firstly, BerlinHaus has updated its news page with an open letter* acknowledging the demand for a public discussion on the fate of the building.

Secondly, and more recently, word has reached us that renovation work has been halted following discussions between Matthias Peckskamp, director of Town Planning at the Senate Department for Urban Development, and Mr Lomb, architect in charge of the changes.

Thirdly, Petra Vellinga, director of the Berlin State Association of German Architects, has informed us that she has urged members to show their support via the petition. Both are very welcome signs, as it means that the city is really getting involved.

The petition, which has only been online for a week, has been growing at a staggering rate (nearly 400 signatures per day), and now reads like a Who’s Who list. Alongside some of the biggest names in contemporary international architecture, it has been particularly pleasing to observe growing support coming out of Berlin itself over the last 48 hours.

On the press front, city listings magazine Tip seem to be poised for an article, and net coverage has grown to include Blueprint, Design Observer (in the “Observed” sidebar), Baunetz, MoNa, Exportabel, B-like-Berlin.

Between posting campaign updates and attending to my day job, there has been little time to reflect more on the reasons why I think this is a cause worth supporting. I intend on coming back to this soon.

The Petition

* English translation:

Project development Charlottenstraße 96-97

As new owners of the building ensemble Charlottenstraße 96-97 in Berlin – Kreuzberg we are planning urgently necessary facade repairs.

After the completion of some initial works, we have received repeated requests to engage in a broader public discussion in respect to the design of the facades, and to consider the special characteristics of the building and its architecture.

We see ourselves as a responsible company, which does not only undertake refurbishment for the preservation and increase in property values, but acknowledge the interaction which takes place between such measures and their surroundings and site specific conditions.

Therefore we are glad to face up to the challenge of finding a broad design consent.

First discussions into how a promising inclusion of different interests groups of can be achieved, are currently taking place.

We are glad to continuously keep you informed about the current state of this process.

The BerlinHaus website. Datestamp: 20th March 2010

The cringingly twee pink awnings may no longer be on display, but the cringingly ignorant headline “Light Apartment in Bauhaus Style” is still there. What is it about property developers and their infantile clutching on to styles? “Italian-style”, “Paris-style”, “loft-style”: it can all be found here in Berlin. Can’t a building be described on its own terms? What is wrong with “Light Apartment in True Berlin Original”? Why does so much of marketing appear to be prescription stupidity?

In my article “Chi-chi la Hejduk” from Monday 15th I posted the renderings via the cautious method of linking to them directly, rather than ripping them. The result is big hole in my article, which I’ve left for posterity. Luckily though, Fanstastic Journal made a hard copy of one, and another arrived in my email inbox:

Expunged renderings. According to the developer, those purple awnings are blue.

The images may be gone, but one can only speculate about what it means for the building. Pressure though, is growing. The online petition has already gathered over 540 signatures since it went online on Thursday afternoon. It’s been interesting to see such names as Peter Eisenmann, Massimo Vignelli or Diller + Scofidio appear.

The list of concerned university faculty members is also impressive reading: the University of Texas School of Architecture, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Rhode Island School of Design, Universität der Künste Berlin, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal, and of course, Cooper Union, where Hejduk was Dean.

Base coat, or new hue?

Here’s a recap of events:

Renate Hejduk wrote to BerlinHaus in January expressing her concern over the images appearing on their website, showing new purple awnings. She encouraged BerlinHaus to work together with architects who appreciate the importance of her father’s work, underlining the importance of the grey/green colour sceme and her role as an architectural historian and head of the Estate of John Hejduk.

BerlinHaus replied that the new awnings will not be purple, but “light blue”, a change which they insisted had been cleared by the “Monument authority, the Architect’s chamber and the Bauhaus Archiv”. This is a thinly disguised and insulting dismissal: the monument authority have nothing to say on the matter since the building is not listed, and the Bauhaus Archive have no say in the matter because, as the name implies, they curate the archive of the Bauhaus, not the IBA. In an especially pathetic passage, BerlinHaus non-committingly suggest that they might even try to find out what significance the old colour sceme had, and why it might be considered better than their new one.

Matthias Reese of RLW Architekten has been busy pulling strings at the Berlin Association of German Architects, who are to hold their Spring Assembly on Sunday 21st. This resulted in the DAZ, the German Architecture Center, getting on board as well. Kristien Ring, director of the DAZ, informs us that an ‘extra newsletter’ will go out on Monday, addressing the issue to a wide group of architects and architecture interested public.

Florian Köhl of FAT KOEHL, has also been scurrying around the halls of Berlin’s district authorities trying to grab the attention of the Senate Department for Urban Development. Oddly enough, whilst at the Senate Department, he bumped into the architect acting as contractor to BerlinHaus, directly responsible for the mechanics of the renovation. Köhl already knew him from other building projects. Two-fold pressure was applied.

Köhl has also been prodding Blueprint Magazine into running the story. Meanwhile, Robert Slinger of Kapok has been coordination communications behind the scenes, and has been prodding Blueprint Magazine and other members of the UK press into running the story. Abitare, though, have been quicker off the mark.

One strand of the story which is particularly interesting is that of copyright. Renata Hejduk has stated that in the USA, her powers in such a case would be relatively limted. Withdrawing her father’s name from the building, and the removal of the building from architectural listings would be about everything possible. The case for copyright infringement in Germany seems to be stronger though. According to Luise King, Professor for urban development and settlement archeology at the Berlin Technical Universtiy, the building is protected by copyright for 70 years, in which time the Estate of Hejduk can and must be guaranteed a say in matters of profound structural change such as this.

The story is now running in a handful of other websites:

Sleek, Fantastic Journal, Atelier, Nicht winken!, Archinect, Urbanophil

Links to:
The Petition

The Facebook Group

www.petitiononline.com/hejduk/petition.html

Should you be so inclined, join the Facebook group here.

A press release is also available in English, German and French.
Download it here (PDF, 71KB)

Many thanks to everyone involved in getting this effort together over the last few days.

Despite what it says as the bottom of the online petition, I am not its sole “author”. Credit must go to Jim Hudson (architectureinberlin) and to Robert Slinger and Claire Karsenty (Kapok) for putting it and the press releases together. Thanks also due to Katja for break-neck translation. Matthias Reese (RLW) has also been extremely active in spreading the word and flexing his professional reach, as has Florian Köhl (FAT KOEHL).

Also good to see some further blog coverage at The Architect’s Newspaper Blog.