IMD _Institute of Media and Design
copyright _IMD
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN | Spree Space Bridge
A bridge does not only connect two opposite banks but it also defines the place by emphasizing the space´s specific characteristic features. It makes oppositeness like togetherness consciously and it sharply defines the picture as something special by joining one side with the other side, i.e., the known with the unknown. The arrangement of crossings or bridges varies from an almost unnoticeable change to an excessive marking, whereas its openness varies from defining the separation clearly to inviting one to pass over it. A crossing usually contains zones which cannot be assigned to one side or the other side. The interplay arising from the area on this side and that side, as well as the blurred "no man's land", constitutes a crossing's value. What counts is not only the achievement of an objective but the perception of a chronological progress too. In this respect, a bridge can also be understood as the bearer of a chronological structure or rhythm, which arises from overlaying urban structures and their protagonists.
The task is to design an urban bridge above the River Spree near Berlin's eastern railway station, the new O2 Hall and the East Side Gallery. The structure that has to be planned integrates spaces with different speeds, which not only allow these spaces to be passed over rapidly but also allow one to stroll and linger slowly. It replaces the former Brommy Bridge, which was blown up in the Second World War. The topographical and functional arrangement of the northern bank's area has been integrated into the design.
Cooperation project with the Institute for structural design
This project is a design workshop for Bachelor students in the 5th semester.
Directed by: Prof. Matthias Karch with Dr. Carolin Höfler and Prof.Dr. Harald Kloft