Humboldt Forum Berlin
Does the desire to restore the "Historic Center of Berlin" legitimize an unreflected reconstruction? Does the extraordinary significance of the site and its new content not call for a differentiated approach that can only be achieved through an ambivalent approach to the subject?
If, in the spirit of the two Humboldt brothers, curiosity about the world is directed from here towards the foreign and different with its outstanding treasures of knowledge and art, the concept of a journey through time from the Baroque to the modern era with the intention of interpreting the historical urban planning order as an outstanding quotation from the past also seems to us to be a didactic offer to arrive at a reduced, contemporary architecture via morphology. This idea can only be comprehended by millions of citizens and visitors to this place in the complementary, in the "visualization of change". The idea of an "ideal plan" and an "ideal city" is over. The course of history and all social circumstances implement breaks that suggest adaptation, change and intelligent interpretations.
Stylistic means and building techniques, ecology and efficiency - which in any case are due to the high demands placed on contemporary museum buildings of superlatives - conservation and museum education concerns and, last but not least, a limited budget framework mean that the historical façade required in parts can only be used as a backdrop. Longing, romanticism and the desire to revive the past, the illustration of cultural values, even if this will only succeed in snapshots without context, are strong, undeniable requirements. The west façade with its main portal and dome will be restored to its former glory, while the long sides will be transformed into a contemporary east façade as an analogy to the historical process. Past and present are thus ambivalent. In keeping with the special task, both the reminiscence of the historical façade and the reduced façade are being conceived and developed with the help of façade experts with a worldwide reputation, using the latest findings from materials research and construction technology.
