BERLIN 3, Modern Buildings and Structures

Here are some of my photos of those modern buildings which I encountered in my short time doing the tourist thing in Berlin. I know Berlin has many fantastic modern buildings, and I only saw a few, and grabbed some shots as I walked around.

Modern buildings at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin above and below.

 

 

The building on the left above intrigued me because it had a kind of perspective defying shape; it’s wider at the top! It was designed by Renzo Piano.

Information on these Potsdamer Platz buildings can be found on:

https://potsdamerplatz.de/en/architecture/

 

 

Below is the very eye-catching Ottobock Science Center for Medical Technology in Berlin. The design of the building, also known locally as the “muscle house” takes its inspiration from the design of the muscle fibres of the human body.

From the following website:

https://www.e-architect.co.uk/berlin/science-center-medical-technology

“Starting from the idea of human muscle fibers, the Berlin architectural firm Gnädinger was assigned the task of creating an amorphous, abstract façade, which wraps dynamically around the six-storey, reinforced concrete frame, encompassing around 1,000 square meters of floor space…..”

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like there is a lovely garden on the rooftop of the Medical Centre.

 

The two photos below are of the Axel Springer building.  Axel Springer SE is the largest digital publishing house in Europe.

 

 

 

 

Central Station, below, or Hauptbahnhof.  This is a marvelous feat of modern architecture and engineering. It also houses shops, restaurants and amazing self cleaning toilets. I didn’t get a picture of the outside of the building.  The building was designed by architect Meinhard von Gerkan and opened in 2006.

 

 

 

 

 

Boxy buildings, below, yet not all looking the same. I find the patterns they make quite visually interesting. These buildings are across the road from some of the murals of the East Side Gallery, on the old Berlin Wall.

 

 

Below is the simple building of the Chapel of Reconciliation, designed by Berlin architects Rudolf Reitermann and Peter Sassenroth, which was built to replace the demolished original church building, that was located just on the east side of the Berlin Wall. It consists of an oval building and a rectangular bell house. It’s more attractive features are perhaps best experienced inside; I particularly liked the corridor space between the outer and inner wall, with the sun shining through the vertical timbers,  inspired, though minimalist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A peaceful place for relaxing and reflecting (above)

 

 

The TV Tower, or Fernsehturm, is in central Berlin, Germany. Close to Alexanderplatz in Berlin-Mitte, the tower was constructed between 1965 and 1969 by the government of the German Democratic Republic. It can be seen from many parts of the city.

The original design of the magnificent tall Tower was devised by the GDR architect Hermann Henselmann. The sphere of the TV Tower was intended to remind people of the Soviet sputnik satellites and was to light up red, the colour of socialism.

It was also specifically intended to have no religious significance or associations whatsoever, and it was a source of amusement to many that the sunlight on the sphere creates an image of a cross.

The tower accommodates a revolving restaurant now, which turns hourly on its own axis, with spectacular views from 203 meters high.

The church on the left is St. Mary’s Church.

 

The two photos below were taken from Pankov Station, part of the underground system.

 

 

 

 

The above structure has been built on the site of part of an excavation of the old Gestapo Headquarters that exposed a number of subterranean solitary confinement cells and interrogation chambers. Now it is used for an exhibition of photos and information.

Below is a photo that shows the roof of that structure, with reflections on it of the buildings around.

 

 

 

Looking across from Checkpoint Charlie (above), showing some of the many tourists who flock to the landmark. Behind the camera is a replica of the unit that checked people travelling from West to East. East to West would not normally have been permitted. The colourful pipes in the picture are everywhere and are used for drainage from the many building sites currently in the city. Love them or hate them, they get in the way of photography, and one has to simply try to incorporate them creatively into the photos.

Another example of those pipes shown below.

 

 

 

 

The rebuilding of the Berlin Palace, above, located on Museum Island.  The original Palace was destroyed by the East German communist regime in the 1950s. Completion is expected in 2018.

Thanks for visiting my blog.  More on Berlin to follow.

Please also take a look at my website for more photos of Berlin.  All photos are for sale.

http://www.helene-brennan.com/c860-germany