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X IDEAS

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A COMFORT ZONE FOR UNCOMFORTABLE ENCOUNTERS WITH HISTORY
muf architecture / art
London 2005

On the 9th of November 2004 all activities in the Volkspalast ceased*. The thermometer registered 4°C. To ensure that conversations remain alive, we propose a COMFORT ZONE to entice the uninterested, the uncommitted, the various homeless citizens of Germany’s multiple pasts, and to involve them in a widening debate about the history and future of the site.

This comfort zone is a 100m2 heated room in extreme contrast to the improvised character of the ruin of the Palace of the Republic. The room is constructed inside its remaining structural shell, and inverts the facade of the Castle to wrap the interior through a scaled photographic representation. The floor is a direct reference to the familiar polished marble of the Palace of the Republic. The room is a strange but opulent collision of history.

The room is connected by boat to the extreme edges of the city, Wannsee and Müggelsee. The room will be advertised for hire for weddings, receptions and parties at the boat boarding points. The stakeholders of the proposed Humboldt-forum will be invited to exhibit some of their treasures. The style of the room and the boats’ route stimulates discussion away from façades and towards uses and user groups.

*Volkspalast was closed on 9th November because the current lack of heating facilities made the continued use of the structure impossible.

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