Archive: The Capital City of Berlin - Documentation

The question as to the use and design of Berlin's historical centre is, at least since the closure of the Palast der Republik, is continually being restated in a multiplicity of controversial debates. Based on an experts' commission recommendation from 2002, the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Berlin is planning to build the Humboldt Forum on the grounds of the former Stadtschloss.

Until completion of the new structure the vacant site is to be made available to the public. The aim of the competition was to find a simple but appropriate design for the palace area during the transitional period. The design's main theme of arcades, which are supposed to describe the transitional situation in form and content, gives visitors the impression of being on a construction site. Due to a shorter period of transitional use than anticipated, the competition's results will not be implemented.