das Reichstag. seat of the German parliament, the new dome by Foster+Partners serves as a light collector funneling natural light into the central chamber of the parliament as well as a viewing platform for the public to see within the chamber from above. the dome expresses the public accountability and transparency of the parliament connecting the people with the state. the detailing is as immaculate as the clarity of the translation of the design concept into built form. in these terms, one of the most successful projects i have had the chance to experience thus far.  

BVG goes back on strike today. U-Bahn and Busses shut down at midnight tonight, this meant an early night home from studio. tomorrow i'll be visiting Checkpoint Charlie for our history course.

Studio work has kicked in and things are getting done. more urban analysis tomorrow afternoon.

Gute Nacht!

time does fly.

it is hard to believe it has been 2 weeks since arriving in Berlin. still spending my free time getting acquainted with the city and its many platz' and straß's. visited many interesting sites in the past few days, the Reichstag, the Dome of Berlin, a few cathedrals, Brandenburg Gate. more about these once i have some photos ready.

the survey is coming along on site. getting used to thinking in m's cm's and mm's. the program and space requirements for the proposed community center have been designated. a children's center and youth club will be accompanied by centers for recreation, performance, and visual arts. i am focusing on visual arts hoping to take advantage of a spacious 2 story space within the existing shell with open views to some of the surrounding architecture as well as some unbuilt space. the roof structure of the existing train station with its industrial appearance of purpose with cables and wires and steel confusing the actual lines of the structure also brings interesting ideas of integration of systems and structure.

went to the beach this past weekend. while Berlin is far from any warm body of water, it is a short train ride to Brand to a zeppelin hanger that has been renovated into a tropical island. complete with rain forest, bamboo huts and tiki bars, it is quite a way to spend the weekend. a humid 70 degree night sleeping on the sand just 45min from the city. pictures to come ( big zeppelin = huge parking space )

Happy Valentines Day.

another night in Potsdamer Platz. amazing lights, people, cars. the building at the far left of the picture is actually a canvas print wrapping the entire form displaying the facade until construction is completed.

integration of space, form, function. in the center of the plaza behind the Sony.center a perforated steel bench lit from within falls into tiered hedges lining the skylight of the bar below the plaza. 

STORY OF BERLIN: an exhibit, the 'story of berlin' chronicles the city of berlin from its birth, through to the 20's, wwII, the wall and the cold war, and into to the 90's and the reunification of the city. 
 

a section of 5 original panels from the Berlin wall. 

kangaroos + cheap movies

no class yesterday. went shopping. walked around downtown. found an Australian Restaurant and had some kangaroo. went to the IMax for €4.50. drank biers on the subway and got home at 1am [by far the earliest night thus far]

alles das ist fur jetzt. guter tag.

trains. train stations. piano

Site Visit! saw our site today, an old train station near Potsdamer Platz. the strike is over and the S+U-Bahn rail systems are very impressive and easy to use. acoustic design in the subway? neat!

walked around Renzo Piano's Potsdamer Platz, lots of glass and steel, SonyCenter, BahnTower, cool land-form art, beautiful space.

von berlin

my first day in Berlin. we arrived to the BVG [Berlin's public transport system] on strike. this made getting around the city a challenge.

after a visit to our studios we moved into our apartments and passed up a few hours of much needed sleep for some [also much needed] food and drink. we met a few girls from the bar on the corner which seems will easily become a regular spot.

we made our way across the city for a brief meeting in studio. now with all responsibilities met for the day we headed towards home dreary from a long day of travel to relax until our need for sleep finally overcame.

28 hours after leaving boston. my first night of sleep. I am living in Berlin.