Politecnico di milano

FACOLTA' DI ARCHITETTURA

corso di LAUREA MAGISTRALE

A/A 2010/11

TESI DI LAUREA SPECIALISTICA

Semantic redefinition of one historical site : project in the area of

Olympiastadion in Berlin

Ridefinizione semantica di unarchitettura : progetto nellarea di

Olympiastadion a Berlino

Relatore: Sergio Crotti

Corelatore: Guya Bertelli

739980 LEE JI-HYUN

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Table of Contents

Abstract (in English) ..................................................................................................................................................5

Abstract (in Italian) ...................................................................................................................................................5

1. Semantics of Architecture ...................................................................................................................................6

1.1 Definition of perception: belief or sight ...................................................................................................6

1.2 Meaning in architecture ...........................................................................................................................6

1.2.1 Environmental meanings (Rapoport) ............................................................................................7

1.2.2 Existential meanings from identification (Christian Norberg-Schulz) ...........................................7

1.3 City as a set of written texts and generation of meanings ......................................................................8

2. BACKGROUND OF THE SITE OLYMPIASTADION IN BERLIN .......................................................................... 10

2.1. City of Berlin ......................................................................................................................................... 10

2.1.1 Brief History of Berlin ................................................................................................................. 10

2.1.2 Berlin; Overwritten City .............................................................................................................. 11

2.2 Interpretation of Architecture in Nazism ............................................................................................. 12

2.2.1 semantics of Nazi architecture- Word in Stone ...................................................................... 12

2.2.2 In search for the right style for the regime ............................................................................. 12

2.2.3 contemporary to German architecture since 1850 as Decadence ............................................. 12

2.2.4 Symbolism and didacticism in Nazi architecture ........................................................................ 14

2.2.5 Theatricality ................................................................................................................................ 15

2.2.6 Berlin's reshaping ; Hitler's MEGALOMANIA .............................................................................. 16

2.3 Sports and Politics in Nazism ................................................................................................................. 18

2.3.1 Propaganda of Olympic games ................................................................................................... 18

2.3.2 Ideology- glorification of perfect body and exclusion of non-Aryans ........................................ 18

2.4 Olympic grounds in general, then and now .......................................................................................... 19

2.4.1 History of Olympic ground.......................................................................................................... 19

2.4.2 General plan ............................................................................................................................... 25

2.4.3 Material- stone faade ............................................................................................................... 25

2.4.4 Sculptures ................................................................................................................................... 26

2.4.5 Langenmarckhalle ....................................................................................................................... 26

2.4.6 Waldbhne ................................................................................................................................. 27

2.4.6 Artwork in Murellenschlucht Spaziengang ................................................................................. 27

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3. SITE ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................... 29

3.1 Status quo.............................................................................................................................................. 29

3.1.1 Collocation in relation with Berlin and nature in the back ......................................................... 29

3.1.2 Accessibility ................................................................................................................................ 29

3.1.3 Historic Landmark Buildings to preserve .................................................................................... 31

3.2 Opportunity of the territory .................................................................................................................. 31

3.2.1 German culture in relationship with nature and the presence of natural reserve in the site ... 31

3.2.2 Existing sports facilities and the tradition of Sports in the site .................................................. 31

3.2.3 Challenging topography.............................................................................................................. 31

3.3 Weakness of the site ............................................................................................................................. 32

3.3.1 Disarticulation of sectors ............................................................................................................ 32

3.3.2 Absence of identity as a place ................................................................................................. 32

4. PROJECT ............................................................................................................................................................. 33

4.1 SITE INTERPRETATIONS AND MAIN CONCEPTS ..................................................................................... 33

4.1.1 Interpretation of the site as a threshold between man-made part of Berlin and nature .......... 33

4.1.2 The historical site of Nazi architecture ....................................................................................... 33

4.1.3 A door to the historical monument ............................................................................................ 33

4.1.4 Generating the historical relation .............................................................................................. 33

4.2 MASTER PLAN ........................................................................................................................................ 35

4.2.1 GRID SYSTEM AND URBANITY .................................................................................................... 35

4.2.2 TRANSPARENCY ( see the urban masterplan) ............................................................................ 35

4.2.3 STRUCTURE OF PUBLIC SPACE ( see the scheme ---) .................................................................. 35

4.2.4 STRUCTURE OF GREEN SPACE ( see the scheme ---) .................................................................. 36

4.2.5 Act of WRITING an architectural PROMENADE to arrive to Olympiastadion ................... 37

4.3 HOTEL DESIGN CONCEPTS AND TOWER OF LABYRINTH ....................................................................... 39

4.3.1 Collocation of Hotel/Spa............................................................................................................. 39

4.3.2 Towers in the hotel complex ...................................................................................................... 39

4.3.3 Tower of Vertical Labyrinth ........................................................................................................ 39

4.3.4 Non-introspectivity and RAUMPLAN .......................................................................................... 41

4.3.5 Interior organization of hotel of labyrinth ................................................................................. 41

Reference

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Attached images 1 Heidelberger Thingsttte 2 Die Feiersttte der Schlesier in St. Annaberg 3 Masterplan model of reshaped Berlin 4 Olympiastadion columns 5 reichssportfeld berlin before 1926 6 reichssportfeld masterplan, berlin in 1933 7 Olympiastadion in 1936 8 Olympiastadion_Hitler march in 1936 9 Olympiastadion restored, now 10 soccer match in olympiastadion 11 Olympiastadion plan_axiality and measurement 12 position of sculpture 13 sculpture; perfection of body 14 Langemarck-Halle 15 Glockenturm und Langemarckhalle 16 Waldbhne in 1936 17 order expressed in stairs 18 locations