The AIA Committee on Design Week in Berlin turned out to be about a lot more than the architecture. Our tireless and very knowledgeable guide, Sonke, gave us a flash of its history; the Wall, the People, the Art, the Innovation, the Landscape, the Old, the New....Everything is all mashed together in Berlin and it's all really fascinating and full of energy.
Self portraits done by children in Berlin and....
....and how the former German chancellors view themselves.
The school children of Berlin have created their own version of the Berlin city plan:
And here's the adult version:
One of the most striking aspects of the city was the omni-presence of the Wall.
Although, it has been years since the Berlin Wall came down, its memory, its whisper, is everywhere. It affects every discussion about the city and its development; What is its relationship with itself, with the outside world and between inhabitants?-there are tensions and sympathies on both sides. The growth of the city for the future seems to be couched in terms of 'before' the wall,'east' of the wall, 'west' of the wall, 'after' the wall, 'in spite of' the wall, 'because of' the wall, in memory of the wall.....and so it goes.
How long will the scar remain? Will reconciliation ever be complete?
But at the same time, the city is bursting with youth, possibilities and new ideas.
Marcie Meditch, AIA
September 2013
COD Berlin Trip
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Marcie Meditch AIA
Meditch Murphey Architects
Chevy Chase MD
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