Cultural Forum Berlin

The area between the Philharmonie / Chamber Music Hall and the New National Gallery or the State Library and the Piazzetta is summarised in the term "Kulturforum". The individual cultural institutions are of outstanding importance. But the high, also international attention for this area is in clear contrast to the inadequate quality and usability of the central open spaces.

It is dominated by traffic facilities with a wide variety of surfacing types, plus a hodgepodge of fixtures, furniture and signage. Today it is a place that is not inviting, it is quickly traversed and little used. There is no sense of an interplay between the individual buildings and the open space to create a vibrant cultural forum.

There is a long history of a wide variety of unrealised competitions and rejected plans. Hopefully, the most recent concept, which was developed with a great deal of commitment, with the agreement of all institutions and the participation of citizens, can be implemented in 2013.

The idea of this design builds on the result of the 1998 competition and the few elements that were built at that time. However, experience showed that a large stone square at this location was not played on or used by the citizens to the extent hoped for from the surrounding houses. Now instead, as a continuation of the Tiergarten, a plain grass carpet is being laid out, which can be used for individual recreation, but also for festivals and events. The design is generous, subordinating itself to the dominant buildings in the surrounding area. With few materials and furnishing elements, a restrained but in detail sophisticated design language is created for the whole area. A multifunctional band along the existing wall on Potsdamer Strasse, loosely covered with trees, can be temporarily furnished and managed during festivities.

The dominant traffic areas will be deconstructed - space will be created. The visual relationships between the individual buildings, but above all between the Philharmonic Hall and the New National Gallery, are exposed and emphasized.

Two trapezoidal squares, corresponding in form and material, restage the view of the Philharmonic Hall as well as of the Gemäldegalerie and the Museum of Decorative Arts. The entrance area to the Philharmonie and Chamber Music Hall opens onto Potsdamer Platz, where a festive and pleasantly lit outdoor foyer welcomes visitors. To the south of the Chamber Music Hall, the second stone square opens up. It opens onto the Piazzetta and leads up wide, comfortable stairs. The new Scharounplatz forms the spatial centre of the Kulturforum. Here there is also space for events and festivities.

A promenade on Potsdamer Strasse provides access to the Kulturforum from north to south. It leads from the forecourt of the National Gallery to the new entrance of the Philharmonic Hall and on to Potsdamer Platz. A small visitor centre with a bistro is clearly visible along this promenade and provides information about the wide range of activities on offer at the Kulturforum. The various buildings are accessible from here. The clear routing and memorable design improve not only the aesthetic quality of the spaces, but also orientation.

To the north of the Philharmonie, a memorial and information site for the victims of the "euthanasia" murders of the Nazi era is to be built at the site of the planning headquarters, Tiergartenstraße 4. The design of the memorial is to be found in an art competition.

In accordance with the design concept, a lighting concept was developed that appropriately stages the various houses, but also the open space.