Happy new year!

/from Berlin

Beige Bravoure Part I: Allianz-Hochhaus

The Allianz-Hochhaus on Joachimsthaler Strasse, near Kurfürstendamm, Berlin. Designed in 1955 by Alfred Gunzenhausen and Paul Schwebes.

One of my favourite buildings, and one of the finest examples of German mid-century modernism. At first, the strict geometric travertine façade is reminiscent of the nazi-klassizismus of the 30's and 40's, but in the end, this is something different. The wriggled long wing, the organic shaped staircase and storefront, as well as the pillars that look like the work of Stig Lindberg. It is no wonder this was one of the most appreciated buildings of the Nachkriegzeit.
 

first two photos by BEROLINO

Confronted

by Pan-Pot

Reminds me of Berlin.

Boros Bunker

Christian Boros is a contemporary art collector who purchased an astonishing nazi-classisistic bunker on Friedrichstrasse in the centre of Berlin, and converted into a musuem of his collection. Berlin is full of these fortresses, with concrete walls several metres thick, making them virtually indestructible. There are, of course, two sides to this coin, and the solutions can be... creative, if nothing else:

Social housing projects built around one of these bunkers

The Friedrichstrasse bunker was previously used as vegetable storage, and later a club, which, in a city where you'll find bars in manholes, comes as no surprise. When it was renovated, REALARCHITEKTUR saved as much of the original planning as possible, adding only a staircase, an elevator and only small amounts of white paint. And a penthouse. 

The cost of cutting through the roof and removing 150 cubic metres of reinforced concrete is unknown.

pictures from REALARCHITEKTUR

Thomas Andrae-Haus

German architect Hermann Muthesius is credited as bringing the English Arts & Crafts movement to Germany, and subsequently becoming an important figure in the Deutscher Werkbund and creator of several significant Jugendstil-villas, mostly in Berlin. 

Galerie Cream Conemporary-owner Thomas Andrae has aquired and restored one of these houses to near-original condition, while at the same time furnishing it with 20th century design pieces, and contemporary art. Somehow, the great quality of any piece or detail makes this clash unnoticeable - and undeniably timeless.

Beautiful photos by Freunden von Freunden