"Countdown to Berlin's Demolition": Munich Scholar Lists the City's Architectural Transgressions
In Munich, a 25-year-old student named Vincent Klass, the founder of the online platform "Tear Down Berlin," has sparked controversy by listing what he considers to be the city's ugliest buildings. Citing a lack of aesthetic appeal, Klass argues that Berlin's architecture detracts more than it impresses, citing monstrous functional buildings, soulless residential towers, and plazas devoid of character as evidence.
Klass has selected ten building projects, critiquing each for its negative impact on Berlin's cityscape and expressing the belief that demolition is the best course of action. Notable mentions include the Gropius House in Neukölln, the panel building on Memhardstraße, and various concrete and panel buildings in Mitte and Kreuzberg.
On their website, "Tear Down Berlin" calls for an end to paying lip service to Berlin's eyesores and instead advocates for a rethinking of the city's architectural past. According to Klass, Berlin requires the courage for radical change, not the preservation of architectural missteps.
One of the most criticized buildings on Klass's list is the Pallasseum in Schöneberg, which is seen as problematic due to its urban isolation, massive concrete facade, and heavy impact on the neighborhood. Followed by the "Snake" in Wilmersdorf and the Gropius House, all three structures have been declared historical monuments in recent years, yet Klass views them as misguided examples of urban planning.
Other problematic buildings in Berlin, according to Klass, include the apartment building at the start of Memhardstraße, known as the "Memi," which clashes with its surroundings; high-rise apartment blocks on Leipzig Street, whose central location could better serve the city's residents; and Mehringplatz, a prime example of failed urban planning and resigned politics. The House of Travel at Alexanderplatz and the apartment building at Schlesisches Tor, known as "Bonjour Tristesse," are also included in the list.
While the Enrichment Data suggests that Vincent Klass and "Tear Down Berlin" have been critical of post-war and modernist buildings in the city, including the Berliner Philharmonie and various large-scale brutalist and socialist-era housing blocks, the current search results do not specifically detail these criticisms. To obtain a precise list of buildings identified by Klass and his platform, additional specialized architectural sources or publications would be necessary.
Of a kind used in the home-and-garden space, the architectural style advocated by "Tear Down Berlin" champions a lifestyle that seeks radical change in Berlin's urban landscape, advocating for the demolition of certain monuments and buildings that are deemed problematic, like the Pallasseum, the Snake, the Gropius House, the Memi, and others.
