Hansaviertel Berlin

The topic of living affects everyone and is a permanent topic across all social classes. In the anniversary year of 100 years of Bauhaus it is worth taking a look at the Hansaviertel. It was built in the post-war period when apartments were in short supply. Thousands of people were looking for a home. We have a different starting position but the same situation today. There is a lack of living space in the cities.

At the beginning of the year the exhibition “Die Neue Heimat” (1950 - 1982) was shown in the Pinakothek Munich. This gave insights into how in the post-war period as fast as possible, much and affordable living space was created. Entire districts were designed here on the rice board. The Interbau 1957 (International Building Exhibition) falls into this period. It was used to explore and find new housing forms and concepts. A very multi-faceted and attractive residential quarter was created, the Hansaviertel.

Architects from all over the world took part in planning and building a new urban quarter for the Berliners. Many of the architects came from the Bauhaus. Max Taut, Alvar Aalto, Oscar Niemeyer, Walter Gropius and many more built a district that is unmistakably influenced by the Bauhaus. How does the Hansaviertel stand 62 years later? It still has one of the highest densities of Berlin and is virtually in the green. A local estate agent told me that the apartments were still very much in demand. In 1995, the entire Hansaviertel was placed under a preservation order.

The Hansaviertel was photographed a thousand times;
how do you show something old and create something new?
“Form follows function” is one of the most famous sentences from the Bauhaus and has never let go of me. Constantly present in the development of the project, this sentence or idea gave the decisive impulse. So I took two pictures of the Niemeyer building, from two different perspectives. When I saw the two pictures on the light table, the spark jumped all over. The work began on the diptychs. This opened up completely new forms of representation and perspectives. It seems like another dimension. Each picture stands on its own and in pairs they merge into a sculptural object.