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X IDEAS

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THINK BIGGER
Abalos & Herreros, architects
Madrid 2005

How can we take the Palace of the Republic as a starting point and create a public space with the ability to change the cultural landscape of Berlin?

We will remove as many elements from the ground floor as possible until the space will be continuous with the surrounding spaces. We will extend this liberated space across the Schlossplatz (Castle Square) and the Spree canal, and also towards northeast, across the river Spree towards the adjacent park area of the Marx-Engels-Forum. The space will be inhabited by a collection of circles of different sizes – some roofed over, others open – as programmatic clearings within a dense, super active and noisy environment.

In order to strengthen the quality of the building as a place, rather than an institution, the existing mass and volume of the Palace will be doubled through a vertical extension along its south-western façade. In this way, a new landmark is created that will change Berlin’s skyline.

The building process and the beginning of re-activation of the site will be a collective adventure. The Palace will transform into a privileged observatory from which to contemplate the uncertainties of our time.

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