Berlin 2035

Michael was invited to give a statement on the city of Berlin which will be exhibited in September 2014 in Berlin. 

The exhibition "Berlin unlimited" is about to explore the contradiction of urban realities - between matters of individual freedom and urban constraint. By means of art and creative media, architecture and urban design, theory and research "Berlin Unlimited" aims to reveala an interdisciplinary narrative about the city and to display a critical view on former limits, todays limitations and tomorrows possible new divisions.

Our work is a very personal one based on the experience of Michael when living in the city for 1 year. During this time he learned, that Berlin is not the "hip" and "sexy" city which the city government tries to express. Berlin is poor (what is not bad per se), dirty, grey, violent and to much basisdemocratic. Masses of young people enter the city every weekend, brought in by discount airlines, to search for alcohol, drugs and innocuous sex. 

Berlin meanwhile stands for stagnation, the desperate try to tie on to a Berlin in the 1920th's failed completely. The city will be first one worldwide which will show  the impact on cities in regard to the collapse of former western assets in economical, social and human relationships and structures. A city which brands itself by highlighting solely the strategy of artificial distraction to cover the  brakedown of politics can and should not survive.

The social systems in Germany are collapsed. The policy of the European Union which goaled in the equilisation of all states involved in this network failed. Germany is a country of several social classes which are opposing each other with mistrust. 

The social systems in Germany are collapsed. The policy of the European Union which goaled in the equlisation of all states involved in this network failed. Germany is a country of several social classes which are opposing each other with mistrust. In 2032 a revolution took place. The attempt to drop this down by state-power failed. In the result a migration process from North to South and West to East occured of all those which had been up to do 

so economically.

The waelthy class developed its habitat south of river Main in cities like Stuttgart, Munich, Freiburg, Heidelberg or Tuebingen. These cities are protected by para-military organisations, the population agreed in the total digital control to maintain safety. All cities are surrounded by city walls and are accessed by controlled city gates.

Those people which had been depended on social support suffered most from this meltdown. These people  populate the cities in the East of Germany, especially Berlin. Since 2034 the city is under autonomous control of its population. The city is surrounded by a 12m high wall to prevent the distribution of its population to other parts of Germany. No more governmental institutions are still in place.

3 gates allow the safe import of foodstuff, medicine and medical treatment.

In a hight of 358 m above the city of Berlin live all those people from former „parvenue society“ in gas filled structures which still feel associted to the city resp. what has been left from it.

For whatever reason

population

containment wall, corridors and stores

section corridors and stores

settlements level 0.00 and + 358

Under Construction - Berlin 06.10.2010

Enjoy the View

Michael was invited together with the team of "Ebner and friends (EF)" to participate in the this years 12th Intl. Architecture Exhibition in Venice. The Biennale gives an overview about the status quo and work of contemporary Architecture  worldwide and exists out of several Pavillions and Areas in which around 200 Architects from all over the world present their entries. EF was invited

Biennale Awards

The international Jury or the 12th International Architecture Exhibition has decided to confer the official awards if the Architecture Biennale as follows:

Golden Lion for for the best National Participation to the Kingdom of Bahrain 
(Curators : Noura Al-Sayeh, Fuad Al-Ansari, 
 Commissioner : Ministry of Culture and Information, Bahrain)


The motivation of the International Jury :
Given the range of vast urban developments that Kingdom of Bahrain could have been tempted to include in this Exhibition, the jury was impressed by the choice, instead, of a lucid and forceful self-analysis of the nation’s relationship with its rapidly changing coastline. Here transient forms of architecture are presented as devices for reclaiming the sea as a form of public space: an exceptionally humble yet compelling response to People meet in architecture, the theme proposed by Exhibition Director Kazuyo Sejima.

This was the first year that Bahrain had participated in the affairs in Venice. In a statement, the nation’s culture minister, Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, said that the nation had hoped to "portray in an objective way a segment of our urban landscape, sharing with you the challenges, which lay ahead of us in the hope that a shared debate can be raised."

It was exciting to see, in a world of parametric architecture, a project which was very poetic by transferring history and culture from Bahrain to Venice. The Architects demounted the fisher-huts in bahrain, rebuilding them in Venice. Visitors can sit in the huts, a storyteller reports about the history and the present of Bahrain and the Gulf joining the guests in the huts. A really very impressing work. Congratulations to Noura, Fuad and their team.

Golden Lion for the best project :  junya.ishigami+associates, Japan
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement : Rem Koolhaas
Golden Lion in memoriam : Kazuo Shinohara

Spy and Spy - an outside view to Heidelberg by an Insider

Born in Heidelberg 52 years ago, i spent app. 35 years in this town (Pfaffengrund and Boxberg), before I left Heidelberg to live in other parts of Europe and Asia. Frequently I come back, but mostly, for whatever reason, I do not stay longer then 3 - 5 days in the city.

politics and markets

it seems that the crisis of the world-economy does not stop. the european union is forced to support greece with a huge amount of money. one of the reason seems to be, as said by officials from europe, to prevent a domino-effect on other countries like spain, portugal or italy, which obviously also face serious economic problems. greece with 177 billions of debt's seems to be manageable, italy with 1.077 billions for sure not. the claim of 

Rain of Light

On April 15th, several students from "building construction class" visited the Mock-up dome of Jean Nouvel's Museum Project in Abu Dhabi / Saadiyat Island. The group have been invited by the Abu Dhabi developing group "TDIC", which is responsible for the whole development of Saadiyat Island.

When entering the Dome it was highly interesting to see, that the concept of Nouvel, which he showed very impressing in his renderings for the project, works in the 1:1 scale as perfect as in the drawings. The light, an integral part of Nouvel's idea, penetrates the skin of the Dome and creates an unique light-atmosphere, which can only be found in this country, due to the almost slightly sandy air. The game of light and shadow on the groundfloor, created by this penetration, is marvelous to see, especially its spatial and geometrical changing due to the move of the sun.

The PR text describes it and the mock-up above:

"A key design element of the Louvre Abu Dhabi will be its great dome, 180 meters (almost 600 feet) in diameter, floating above a cluster of buildings and waterways. Perforated by interlaced patterns, the dome will let a diffused light filter magically into the spaces below. The prototype, 6 meters (approximately 20 feet) in diameter, is being used to test the play of light and shadows on the site prior to fabrication of the final structure"