Lending Libaries for Berlin: Poro[city] for the Green and Grey | Section 4

PART II: THEMATIC EXPLORATIONS

AIV Schinkel Competition Proposed Lending Library

The Park in Motion Proposed Shower/ WC block

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MATERIAL LANGUAGES

left | Detailed sections express the material build ups in the Tiergarten and SchÖneberg sites right | 1:200 fragments demonstrating the simplicity of the timber frames, designed for ease of construction in support of the schemes' ability to expand to more locations across the park

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[4]

[1]

[3]

[2]

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MATERIAL LANGUAGES

Industrial Tectonics The material language of Components of the Craft is inspired by the material language of the elevated railway that spans between the three sites of focus. In a similar fashion, the design features exposed steel elements and continues the theme of metal with the cladding that wraps around the main hall and the lending libraries.

Many of the city's great industrial facilities were built by the pioneers of modernism11. The AEG building by Peter Behrens featuring steel, glass and brick and became a precursor to industrial buildings around Germany and across the world. They are symbols of the new age. In more recent times, architects have drawn inspiration from large industrial buildings for approaching new housing complexes and were hired to build for the masses.

Consequently, modular construction used in industrial facilities has become the basis for affordable housing and manufacturers began to produce huge quantities of prefabricated structural components for this new style.

[1] Deutsche Telekom’s radio mast, Schöneberg [2] Calisthenics Park bridge, Schöneberg [3] Tiergarten S-Bahn gantry [4] Bülowstraße elevated railway

left | Inspiration behind Components of the Crafts' industrial tectonics right | 1:50 model of the elevated railway between Bülowstraße and Nollendorfplatz | Proposal for the unter der Brücke music and sports carnival

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[4]

[5]

[6]

left | Sketchbook development: beams, columns, trusses, stairs, railings, frames, canopies, facades louvres and balustrades. right | Maquette: beams, columns, trusses, stairs, railings, frames, canopies, facades louvres and balustrades.

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[7]

MATERIAL LANGUAGES

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drawn | The architectures feature suspended floors on stilts, 900mm above soil level. The architectures are designed to have a gentle touch to the ground to underly their intentions to remain subservient to the densely planted landscape. The buildings will have a mulch covering beneath with a SUDs solution - originally drawn at 1:200 @ A2.

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1.

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[6] [10]

[8] [5] [9]

[1] Residential zone: irregular granite slabs set between Steadfast:grass or similar, suitable for shaded areas [2] Ha-ha, land elevated with sub-base MOT type 2 containing unusable reclaimed bricks and recycled crushed aggregate, locally sourced, topped with screed sand and granite sets and crushed slate between for permeability [3] Suspended timber floor affixed to steel superstructure on 900mm stilts; mulch and SUD's beneath the structure [4] MVHR unit [5] External stair with anodized aluminum balustrade [6] Mild steel balustrade [7] Perforated steel RSJ, RAL 3009 (Oxide red) [8] Solar panels [9] Larch timber deck, pressure treated; mild steel portal supports at 2400mm centres, RAL 3009 (Oxide red) [10] Mild steel cladding, 2 no. C shape mild steel channel with re-bar wrapped around; re-bar elements to be concentrated along the channel according to planting schedule, highlighting where climbers are planted; staggering to also provide views through plant screening.

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[7]

[4]

[3] [2] [1]

1.

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PART II: THEMATIC EXPLORATIONS Nature's Theatre

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Polyphonia

MATERIAL LANGUAGES Components of the Craft

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4] [5]

[6]

[7] [1] Corten steel band embedded into planted landscaping [2] Galvanized steel cladding [3] Galvanized steel superstructure [4] Timber frame addition to the main hall, enclosed within the galvanized steel super structure [5] Galvanized steel cable tray [6] Workshop material lift, steel frame [7] Galvanized steel superstructure [8] Basketball scoreboard supported on galvanized steel truss, steel cable hangers [9] Concrete cast slab foundation with built in draining; to be used for water collection after the buildings 30 years lifespan [10] Round bar steel frame with permeable mesh cladding; single ply membrane roof with continuous mesh cladding over-sailing the water-sealing for a unified appearance [11] Ground floor conversion of (existing building) [12] Corten steel troughs embedded into planted landscaping

[8]

[9] [10]

[11] [11]

[12]

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[1] [3]

[5] [4]

[6] [7]

[2] [11] [10] [8] [9]

rendered | Exploded axonometric - the exploded generic perspective to the bottom left shows the true relationship between the three blocks and the proposals.

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rendered | Perspective view, looking towards The Contender's Lending Library from The Collaborator's Workshop.

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Annodized aluminium skylights RAL7013 Winch lift

Annodized aluminium facade panels, standing seam RAL7013

Double glazed crittall syle windows

Hidden Gutter Plenum

Wood Workshop

400mm rammed earth 200mm PIR insulation 200mm rammed earth

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Audio Lending Library

Floor finish 100mm pre-cast floor plates (removable) 200mm acoustic roll Gyproc suspended ceiling system Plasterboard

Cable tray houses exposed services for ease of maintainance

Raised Walkway

Annodized aluminium curtain wall system RAL7013 Bolt-on and bolt off steel frame

Steel girder at 2400m Pressure treated dou FSC Gernmany cert

mm ctrs uglas fir, tified

MATERIAL LANGUAGES

Material precidents 1. 54a Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, Michael Laird 2. Mossbourne Community Academy, Richard Rogers

1.

2.

left | Material section cut through The Contender's Workshoporiginally drawn at 1:50.

1.

1.

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERVENTION

rendered | A work in progress photograph of the final model before adjustments were made to the proposal's slab foundations

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PART III: REFLECTIONS

[Part III ]

1 | DRAWING

"Architectural drawing is a unique mode of active thinking, a fertile wellspring where a design emerges from within the effort of drafting"12 In Paul Emmons' essay entitled Demuirgic lines: line-making and the architectural imagination, Emmons traces the etymology of line making and its phenomenological significance in the applied art of building design. Line making is a deeply ingrained process within the architectural profession. Despite some slight variance in 21st century, the application and use of lines hasn't changed much in the last few hundred years and remains a universal language of its own. The word 'line' derives from 'linen', a thread material that was valuable for accurate drawing as in the renaissance period as it resists stretching. Perspective drawings would be set out with threads receding to a singular vanishing point (or two points in the case of a two point perspective). The material connection that has spanned across the centuries continues to excite me in my work. It reminds me that in our rapidly changing technological word, the inconspicuous Rotring pen remains so far reaching, and I will always be enthused to pick up a pen before reaching for a mouse.

Throughout the thesis, we have engaged in different forms of drawing, and are particularly committed to an equal delivery of digital drawing and hand drawing. I believe they both carry their own merit; idiosyncrasies and variations in time management; developing both has brought about a particular joy in the development of the thesis.

Everyday is a school day and I am always looking to develop. Reflecting on the drawings produced throughout the year, and seeing a selection of them on the wall for our final exhibition has made me want to improve the way I work with colour (as it is always something I have approached with skepticism). With a strict palette, I would like to make 2D drawings 'pop' on the wall, and consider how they are seen from a distance, rather than the distance I sat when I drew them. Equally, I am very keen to continue improving my illustrator drawing, using architectural hatching to aligne conceptual thought with architectural line conventions.

pictured | Carl Harris' desk, Berlin: Close Encounters design studio, 2023-2024, ESALA, The University of Edinburgh

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[Part III ]

2 | MAKING

Throughout the thesis, our group has explored multiple ways of making by employing a variety of techniques and communicating mediums. Our models ranged from the fabrication of the Sounding the Ground device to the three final models: Nature's Park, Polyphonia and Components of the Craft. The range of materials included acrylic, PLA, mount-board, greyboard, card, paper, plywood, paper, string, blue foam, 12mm mild steel square bar and finishing spray paint. The application of these materials involved a variety of model-making techniques such as rapid prototyping (3D printing and laser cutting), casting, hand modeling, hand routing, MIG welding, plastic welding and wood-working.

Aside from the lessons learnt in the exploration of making, working with material themselves has proven to be a productive, rewarding process, but also a challenge at times. In February, we handmade a plaster cast and didn't allow the plaster enough time to dry before removing the cast causing the model to shatter. This experience served as a reminder that there is sometimes rather substantial gap between how an idea is imagined and how its brought into physical existence- a behavior that is only exemplified through the scales, all the way up to 1:1. Making, particularly when it goes wrong, has reminded me to fully test ideas and is something I will take forward with me in professional practice.

If I had an opportunity to make improvements or additions, I would be keen to make a further model to test the scheme in a different block within the SchÖneberg area. Furthermore, I would have liked to have produced a more detailed 1:50 model for The Park in Motion scheme, as 1:50 didn't seem an appropriate scale for a model that lacked 1:50 detailing. However, we have thoroughly enjoyed the transition from drawing, to digital, to physical modeling, and the occasional inverse.

pictured | Three bases in preparation; hand routed by us earlier in the day. The Scottish larch (deciduous) is one of the softest hardwoods available that can be locally sourced around Edinburgh, which made it a suitable material to work with.

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[Part III ]

3 | CODING

The most challenging part of the thesis was the coding of the arduino prototyping boards ready for its deployment in Tiergarten. This involved learning how to use Arduino's IDE, arduino's programming language and to have an understanding of wiring and electrical circuits. Additionally, we had to learn the components of an arduino board (their analog and digital inputs) and what sensors were required. There were other tasks involved to ensure smooth running on site such as coding on/off buttons and VU meter which. These features would allow us to control the device autonomously on-site without a laptop. When we reached those milestones, we could settle on finding a way to store the data using the SD card shield.

The second part of the process was learning how to process the data. In order to achieve this, I learn't how to use Grasshopper, writing a script that would interpret the csv. files produced by the sensors.

I am very pleased that we managed to get the device to Berlin and am proud that we were able to successfully record data. The form-factor was designed to fit in a hand-luggage suitcase, which assisted with the transnational movement. Overall, the full-scale production of the device was very rewarding and allowed us to interpret Tiergarten in a way we could not have envisioned before we begun the thesis. I would like to continue using Arduino's prototyping boards in the future as they would be very useful for collecting other environmental data such as light intensity or humidity during site analysis studies where primary data was required.

[1] | Olly and I testing the urban sensing device in the hostel in Mitte, Berlin. The image vaguely captures our excitement when we were able to test it over the border, knowing the device made in one piece and the data was successfully being written to the SD cards!

[2] A work in progress image of one of the arduino devices being coded. This particular board was for the volume data. An onboard VU meter allowed us to check whether the sensor was working when we were on-site.

[3] | Each arduino board had a blue light to indicate when the data was being written. We coded a buttons to start and stop the writing onto the SD card. This was crucial to prevent the card from corrupting, as it would have otherwise reached its storage capacity within 25 minutes of connecting the batteries. We pressed the button before and after each transect. In addition to activating the camera app on the iPhone mounted to the device, and a GPX tracker on a separate iPhone was engaged.

[4] | For the mid-term review in November 2023, we repurposed the device - housing it upside down within a steel frame. This time, we used an Arduino Leonardo board (which unlike the Arduino Uno boards used prior, is able to impersonate keystrokes) and a hall sensor. The prototyping board was connected to a laptop with a USB-A to USB-C micro cable. When the ball was spun, it would activate the key, playing a video on a projector. When the ball stopped turning after a matter of seconds, the key would be activated again, pausing the video.

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CODING

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

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PART III: REFLECTIONS #include “sdFiles.h”

state = Action::measuring; logger = new SDFileLogger(“hdist”,”csv”, 4); logger->logStr(“time sensed (ms)”); startTime = millis();

/// Calibration Variables int greenLed = 6; int redLed = 5; int button = 8; int statusLed = 7;

} buttonPrevious = buttonState;

} if (state == Action::measuring) { int sensorState = digitalRead(sensor);

sets variables

if(sensorState != previousSensorValue && sensorState == LOW) { logger->logStr(String(millis())); } previousSensorValue = sensorState; if (sensorState == LOW) { digitalWrite(redLed, LOW); sets LED according to write/don't digitalWrite(greenLed, HIGH); write button state } else { digitalWrite(greenLed, LOW); digitalWrite(redLed, HIGH); }

int sensor = A5; /// internal variables SDFileLogger* logger; int buttonPrevious = HIGH; enum Action {idle, measuring}; Action state = idle;

sets variables

unsigned long startTime = 0; int previousSensorValue = LOW;

if (buttonState != buttonPrevious && buttonState == LOW) { digitalWrite(statusLed, LOW); digitalWrite(greenLed, LOW); digitalWrite(redLed, LOW); state = Action::idle; Serial.println(“stopping logging”); delete logger; logger = NULL; }

void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); delay(1000); pinMode(greenLed, OUTPUT); pinMode(redLed , OUTPUT); pinMode(button , INPUT_PULLUP); pinMode(statusLed, OUTPUT); }

assigns LEDs to arduino pins

pinMode(sensor, INPUT);

}

void loop () { int buttonState = digitalRead(button); if (state == Action:: idle) { will run the code if the button is active // set up the measuring state if (buttonState != buttonPrevious && buttonState == LOW) { digitalWrite(statusLed, HIGH);

}

buttonPrevious = buttonState;

//delay(100);

The remaining code is not shown for editorial purposes Example:

A Transect Lines

B: Terrain

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A: Volume data (arduino sound sensor) The unit of measure is arbitrary, however, the data is relative, thus producing an accurate waveform according to the grounds' texture B: Vertical distance data (arduino SR04 ultrasonic sensor) in millimetres C: Length, ie. distance walked (in meters) A: Sound

B

GPX path 7

GPX path 7

CODING #include “Keyboard.h” #define BUTTON_DEBOUNCE 100 const int green_led_pin = 7; const int white_led_pin = 8; const int button_pin = 4; const int hall_sensor_pin = 2;

{

sets variables

void hall_ISR_rising(); void button_ISR_rising(); void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(hall_sensor_pin), hall_ISR_rising, RISING); attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(button_pin), button_ISR_rising, RISING); // initialize control over the keyboard: Keyboard.begin(); records last state of the hall sensor and manual override // digitalWrite(green_led, HIGH); button } enum SpinningState { NONE, ON, PERMANENT_ON, OFF, };

sets up code before loop

volatile long last_observed = millis(); volatile SpinningState spinning_state = SpinningState::OFF; SpinningState previous_state = SpinningState::NONE; void loop() { SpinningState current_state = spinning_state;

establishes button state types

establishes time function

if (millis() - last_observed > 5000 && current_state == SpinningState::ON) { // intentionally not setting spinning_state to OFF when PERMANENT_ON is set spinning_state = SpinningState::OFF; current_state = SpinningState::OFF; if hall sensor doesn’t detect } magnetism every 5 seconds...

switch (current_state) { case SpinningState::ON: Serial.println(“Spinning on - press space bar”); Keyboard.write(32); break; case SpinningState::OFF: Serial.println(“Spinning off - press space bar”); Keyboard.write(32); break; case SpinningState::PERMANENT_ON: Serial.println(“Spinning permanent on - press space bar”); Keyboard.write(32); break; compares previous state, current default: state and spinning state to ensure break; space bar is pressed only when } a ball starts to spin or when previous_state = current_state; the hall sensor stops detecting } magnetism } void button_ISR_rising() { if ((spinning_state == SpinningState::PERMANENT_ON || spinning_state == SpinningState::ON) && millis() - last_observed < BUTTON_DEBOUNCE) { spinning_state = SpinningState::OFF; } else if (spinning_state == SpinningState::OFF && millis() - last_observed < BUTTON_ DEBOUNCE) { spinning_state = SpinningState::PERMANENT_ON; } last_observed = millis(); } void hall_ISR_rising() { last_observed = millis(); spinning_state = SpinningState::ON; }

Code complete

if (previous_state != current_state)

Left | C: Length, ie. distance walked (in meters) - PIR sensor + Arduino Uno + Breadboard + SD + 9V battery Right | D: Playback device - Arduino Uno, USB A - USB-C micro cable + Magnets + Hall sensor (battery not required as laptop powered)

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[Part III ]

4 | CURATING

Curating has played an important role throughout the thesis - underpinning the way we communicate our ideas and the way we present our work to an audience. We see this as an essential skill in professional practice, and thus has been key for us develop throughout the year in preparation. The thesis was largely developed in collaboration throughout the academic year meaning that our communication within the group has had to be sustained throughout, not only during reviews.

The process of curation has led us to develop design work that is not inherently connected with the thesis itself, but has nonetheless been important to present our work. The key apparatus' developed for the purposes of presenting was the steel frame used to redeploy our urban sensing device, and the armature we designed to hold the drawings and models for the final exhibition in the Matthew Gallery.

Overall, we believe curation has played an important role in demonstrate how the narrative of our project ties together.

left | The steel frame developed re-purpose our urban sensing device right | Final exhibition, The Matthew Gallery, May 2024 | ESALA, The University of Edinburgh

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CURATING

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PART IV: MODE OF PRACTICE

[Part IV ]

STUDIO CULTURE

Our method of architectural investigation has a strong leniency towards sustainability and coexistence, driven by our agency as designer to thoroughly assess a sites at a variety of scales before attempting to poise an architectural proposition within the site. This was demonstrated from the seminal moves in the first semester in our master-mapping exercise, where we chose to retain all of the trees on site. As a site that is highly cherished by the city and the Berliners, it was our duty to ensure that we did not change the natural character of Tiergarten, but instead, to positively contribute to it.

Our aim to assess sites at a variety of scales continued in semester 2 with the development of three site models - ranging from 1:1000 - 1:200 scale. Our master-maps and models sought to understand them from the inner perimeter blocks from an experiential level - specifically, their lighting conditions and their sense of enclosure - which was most helpful alongside secondary research into the sites' history and the accounts of others who know Berlin well - such as Franz Hessel and his 1920's account; travel2000's writings from 2005 or more recently, Peter Schneider's work published in 2014. As outsiders of Berlin - informed tourists at best - we wish to take great care in understanding how a site is currently used and whom it is used by.

The articulation of these themes were developed throughout the academic year in our studio environment where we actively worked together as a trio, using our studio space to the fullest potential.

left | Carl Harris, Folahan Adelakun and Olly Maxwell's creative quarters in the Berlin: Close Encounters studio

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STUDIO CULTURE

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PART IV: MODE OF PRACTICE

[Part IV ]

SYMPOSIUMS AND REVIEWS

In the second semester when we had the opportunity to design to a greater depth, we decided to act as the principle architect for one block each. This allowed us to explore our own trains of thought, whilst still being able to contribute to a cohesive and coordinated body of work with as similar research output. Regular symposiums in the studio were key, and it is thanks to the culture of the studio that we were able to deliver a project as a group. Despite this, we still intended to strike a balance with individual and group work, by offering nuance in ideas and representation. We mediated this through our personal selection of historical texts; historic photos and the architectural precedents we were inspired by (such as the modernist Sir Richard Rogers, or architecture firm cero 9). To compliment approach, we nuanced our drawing styles for the final exhibition as we felt it would be the best way for us to express the block we knew the most, and showcase our individual specialisms.

left | Semester final review, Volume 1, December 2023, ESALA, The University of Edinburgh. right | Final review, The Matthew Gallery, April 2024, ESALA, The University of Edinburgh.

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pictured | The Park in Motion site model. Volume 1, December 2023 | ESALA, The University of Edinburgh.

Model scale: 1:500/1:2000.

pictured | Final exhibition, The Matthew Gallery, April 2024 | ESALA, The University of Edinburgh

LENDING LIBRARIES FOR BERLIN: PORO[CITY] FOR THE GREEN AND GREY

REFERENCES Bartoli, Sandra and Stollmann, JÖrg. Tiergarten, landscape of transgression (this obscure object of desire), Zurich: Published by Park Books, 2019.

1

E.Till, Karen. The New Berlin: Memory, Politics and Place, Minnesota: Published by University of Minnesota Press, 2005.

2

Schneider, Peter. Berlin Now: The City after the Wall, translated by Sophie Schlondorff, New York: Published by Farrar, Straus and Girous, 2014.

3

" Schöneberg was so Lesbian in the Weimar Republic!". Place2Berlin, 2015, accessed May 01, 2024, https://www.place2be.berlin/en/discover-berlin/sch%C3%B6neberg-was-so-lesbian-in-theweimar-republic/ 4

"Plant list from 1953." Steppengarten, 2011, accessed February, 29, 2024, https://steppengarten. de/home/pflanzen 5

Schneider, Peter. Berlin Now: The City after the Wall, translated by Sophie Schlondorff, New York: Published by Farrar, Straus and Girous, 2014.

6

7

ibid.

DÖblin, Alfred. Berlin Alexander Platz, translated by Michael Hoffmann, London: Published by Penguin Classics, 2018.

8

BÖhme, Gernot. Invasive Technification: Critical Essays in the Philosophy of Technology, translated

by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, London, New York: Published by Bloomsbury Academic, 2012.

9

10

161

ibid.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND IMAGE REFERENCES

IMAGE REFERENCES Page v-vi

Source Frank & Sylvia. ein typischer Szenerie in Berlin Sept, 2009, photograph, Flickr, https:// www.flickr.com/photos/franksylvia/3966016540/

49-50

M., David. From the top of the Victory Column in the Tiergarten, Oct, 2018, Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidfmorton/45473118121

57-58

Rousset, Isabel Rousset. " Housing Speculation and Nouveau-Riche Taste in Late-Nineteenth-Century Berlin", In Proceedings of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand: 33 (2016), https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/311672826_Housing_Speculation_and_Nouveau-Riche_Taste_in_LateNineteenth-Century_Berlin

61-62

Ibid.

95-96

"Berlin U Bahn Bülowstrasse 1900.jpg" Wikipedia. Accessed May 02, 2024. https:// en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Berlin_U_Bahn_Buelowstrasse_1900.jpg

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LENDING LIBRARIES FOR BERLIN: PORO[CITY] FOR THE GREEN AND GREY

[1]

[2]

Schneider, Peter. Berlin Now: The City after the Wall, translated by Sophie Schlondorff, New York: Published by Farrar, Straus and Girous, 2014.

[7]

Sim, David. Soft City, Building Density for Everyday Life, Washington: Published by Island Press, 2019.

[8]

BÖhme, Gernot. Invasive Technification: Critical Essays in the Philosophy of Technology, translated by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, London, New York: Published by Bloomsbury Academic, 2012.

163

[3]

E.Till, Karen. The New Berlin: Memory, Politics and Place, Minnesota: Published by University of Minnesota Press, 2005.

[9]

DÖblin, Alfred. Berlin Alexander Platz, translated by Michael Hoffmann, London: Published by Penguin Classics, 2018.

Hessel, Franz. Walking in Berlin: a flaneur in the capital, translated by Amanda DeMarco, London: Published by Scribe, 2016.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SUPPORTING TEXTS

[4]

[5]

Deplazes, Andrea. Constructing Architecture: Materials, Processes, Structures; a Handbook, Switzerland: Published by Birkhauser Verlag AG, 2008.

[10]

[6]

Crinson, Mark. Alison and Peter Smithson, Swindon: Published by Historic England, 2018.

[11]

Bartoli, Sandra and Stollmann, JÖrg.

Tiergarten, landscape of transgression (this obscure object of desire), Zurich: Published by Park Books, 2019.

Matthew Gandy, dir. Nature Urbana: The Brachen of Berlin: Cambridge: Dept. of Geography, University of Cambridge, 2017. DVD.

[12]

Emmons, Paul. "Demuirgic Lines: Line-Making and the architectural imagination ", The Journal of Architecture, 19:4 (2014) 536-559. Published

by Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1080/1 3602365.2014.949822

Benjamin, Walter. Berlin Childhood around 1900, translated by Howard Eiland, Cambridge, Mass: Published

by Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2006.

164

165

pictured | Final exhibition, The Matthew Gallery, May 2024 | ESALA, The University of Edinburgh

166

167

pictured | Final exhibition, The Matthew Gallery, April 2024 | ESALA, The University of Edinburgh

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Berlin: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Led by Miguel Parades Maldonado, Andrew Brooks, Andrea Faed and Jack Green 2023-24, ESALA, The University of Edinburgh

i. C o m p o n e n t s o f t h e C r a f t ii. N a t u r e ’ s T h e a t r e [Oliver Maxwell] iii. P o l y p h o n i a [Folahan Adelakun] In and amongst the vibrant pulse of Berlin's urban expanse, the promenade winds its path through the streets of the bustling city. Here, amidst the thrum of urban rhythms, the Bülowstraße bridge stands sentinel, a titan of time – connecting the city of yesterday and tomorrow. Towards an opportunity for intervention of urban harmony, once cloistered havens in the impermeable private blocks of Bülowstraße now yearn for liberation, shedding their walls to embrace the communal. No longer fortresses of exclusivity, they now beckon to all, transformed into delicately composed hubs of activity.

In this metamorphosis, the Berlin block becomes a canvas for innovation, a stage for the dance of leisure and community.

Music, Craft, and Sport take centre stage, weaving a tapestry of cultural exchange and kinship among Bülowstraße’ denizens and beyond.

As the architecture shifts over time, it breathes with the city's pulsing beckon for resilience and adaptability. Modular and fluid, these structures become vessels of transformation, reflecting the ebb and flow of urban life. Branching off, from the span of the Bülowstraße’ bridge a harmony between humanity and nature is unfolded. Enabling the thriving of the vibrant the ecologies that dwell within and without, animating a porosity of movement amongst human and nonhuman protagonists.

Within the beating heart of BÜlowstrasse, the trinity of community, nature, and culture converges in a kaleidoscope of care, nurturing, and vitality, ushering forth a new dawn in the great city's eternal symphony.

Carl Harris

Left to right Oliver Maxwell, Folahan Adelakun, Carl Harris