Peter Eisenmann, Rem Koolhaas/OMA - Haus Am Checkpoint Charlie

Actually two separate, unrelated buildings, but both done for the Berlin IBA 1987.

Both are at tourist ground zero in Berlin, and have understandably suffered from the grime and commercial signage of the area, but Eisenmann’s building in particular hasn’t weathered well.

Disappointing though are the rear communal spaces. In OMA’s case there was clearly very little room available on the tight site, and the balcony arrangement makes the best of a bad situation.

The Eisenmann building does have some space, but seems to have forgotten about it - compare this with the communal spaces of some of the other IBA buildings and it seems like a lost opportunity. Admittedly it has to suffer the messy rear access areas of shops at ground level, but even so…

Worth wandering around the back though to see a sculpture made from a section of wall.

What is really interesting about the Eisenmann block is not what was built, but what wasn’t. The original competition was for the entire block, retaining only a handful of existing buildings. Eisenmann proposed a complex series of off-set grids, forming a public garden, to create “a monumental and symbolic area [...]” which would be “…sufficiently profound to excavate all its cultural meanings.” If this sounds a bit pompous, it should be borne in mind that at the time the site stood in the shadow of a still very real Berlin wall. I don’t know whether the fall of the wall killed the scheme, or some other factor(s). Interesting to compare this with Eisenmann’s now built Holocaust Memorial.

Funnily, the red and grey grid of this dead scheme (only visible from the air, presumably) was transferred into the facades of the building actually built (see below). The design though is more complex than may be apparent - the floor plan retains the idea of two slightly offset grids, which continues through to the planes of the eternal walls.

The OMA block, main street elevation