beyond your map

Since 1963, the Philharmonie Berlin has been the musical heart of the city. Originally on the outskirts of West Berlin, it became a central landmark after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Recognized by its unique tent-like shape and bright yellow color, the Philharmonie's architecture and concert hall design, initially controversial, now serve as a global model. Architect Hans Scharoun's vision in 1920 inspired the main concert hall's design, featuring a central focal point with musicians on a suspended platform.

The James-Simon-Galerie is a crucial addition to Museum Island, serving as its new entrance building to provide guidance, information, and hospitality for the large number of visitors. Designed by architect David Chipperfield, the building harmoniously blends historical elements, drawing inspiration from Stüler's colonnades, while adding a modern accent to the Museum Island. Named after a significant patron of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, James Simon, the gallery was laid in fall 2013, with the topping-out ceremony in 2016. Positioned between the Kupfergraben and the Neues Museum, the building aligns with the Pergamonmuseum and neighboring colonnades, creating a new courtyard. The terrace offers a public space with a view over the Kupfergraben.

The Berlin TV Tower, inaugurated in 1969, symbolized East Germany's superiority during its twentieth-anniversary celebrations. Designed by Hermann Henselmann and architects from Industrieprojektierung (Ipro) Berlin, the tower quickly became an iconic part of Berlin's cityscape after German reunification. Now a top sight in Germany, the TV Tower attracts over a million visitors annually. Classified as a heritage building in 1979, its viewing platform offers spectacular views of Berlin, making the Panorama Bar and Sphere Restaurant popular spots for visitors to enjoy breathtaking views and refreshments.

Architect Sergei Tchoban's foundation, situated on a former brewery in Prenzlauer Berg, showcases a diverse collection of architectural drawings from the 16th century to the present. Housed in a distinctively stacked building, the foundation features exhibitions, a museum shop, and a library over three floors. Tchoban's passion for handmade drawings, often overshadowed by digital tools, led to the foundation's creation in 2009. The building's unique exterior displays delicate architectural drawings, and a glass-crowned top serves as a meeting place. The collection includes works by notable architects like Mies van der Rohe and Frank Gehry, focusing on Russian Constructivism and Italian works from the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum's precision-focused drawings, including Tchoban's own, are preserved in windowless rooms on the third floor.

Wohnhaus Schlesisches Tor, Álvaro Siza Vieira's social housing project in Berlin, commissioned in 1980, is a notable example of urban densification. The seven-story structure features a distinctive curving façade that harmonizes with its surroundings while referencing German Expressionism, creating a visually intriguing contrast. Originally designed for 24 units, it was expanded to 46 to address housing needs. The mixed-use building includes commercial spaces on the ground floor and residential units above. The project, named "hello sadness" in French due to graffiti on the facade, contributed to Berlin's post-war identity and enhanced Siza's international reputation, leading to the 1992 Pritzker Prize.

This project centers around two former telecommunications bunkers in Berlin's Kreuzberg district, dating from 1942–44, with substantial concrete structures and distinctive vents on their roofs. Acquired by art historian Désiré Feuerlé, the bunkers now house his private collection, featuring Chinese Imperial furniture, 7th–13th century South-east Asian sculpture, and works by contemporary artists like Nobuyoshi Araki and Anish Kapoor. The intervention maintains a minimal approach, respecting the buildings' historical imprints and focusing on subtle adjustments to thresholds, spatial narratives, light quality, and specific sensory encounters within the galleries, such as the flooded lake room and the space dedicated to the ancient imperial ritual of incense burning.

Completed in 1957 as part of Interbau, a post-World War II social housing initiative, the Oscar Niemeyer Haus in Berlin's Hansaviertel district stands as an iconic contribution to the project led by 48 architects, including luminaries like Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, and Sep Ruf. Uniquely, Niemeyer was the sole non-European architect invited to participate. Elevated on robust V-shaped pillars, the building features a shaded walkway underneath. Its apartments boast front terraces and glass patio doors, each equipped with a deck, mesh and metal railings, and retractable orange awnings, showcasing Niemeyer's distinctive modernist design.

Inaugurated on February 18 in Berlin, the Cube is a cutting-edge office building designed by 3XN, known for their focus on architecture-technology integration. Positioned at Washington Platz in Europacity, the Cube stands as a landmark with its ten-story sculptural glazed cube, reflecting the surrounding landscape through a prismatic pattern. Embracing the Smart Working trend, it offers flexible, multi-tenant office spaces with shared information systems accessible through a mobile app. The innovative double façade incorporates terraces and solar coatings, enhancing sustainability by providing natural light, ventilation, and energy capture. The rooftop terrace offers panoramic views, and the ground floor houses a food market. The modular office spaces on upper floors, arranged around a central core, promote flexibility and interaction, contributing to the Cube's ambition to be one of Europe's smartest buildings.

The Axis of Exile leads to the Garden of Exile, situated outside the Libeskind building. The garden features forty-nine concrete stelae arranged in a 7-by-7 square on sloping terrain. Atop these stelae, Russian olive bushes grow, symbolizing hope. Among them, forty-eight contain soil from Berlin, while the central stela holds soil from Jerusalem. The sloping terrain of the Garden of Exile creates a disorienting and unsteady sensation for visitors. The vegetation is deliberately placed out of reach, echoing Daniel Libeskind's intention to evoke the disorientation and instability experienced by émigrés forced to leave Germany.

In 1932, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed the Lemke House, opting for a cost-effective L-shaped floor plan after considering various designs. Construction began in August 1932, and the house was granted occupancy in March 1933. Karl and Martha Lemke lived there until 1945. After being requisitioned by the Red Army in October 1945, the house saw diverse uses, including by the East German Stasi from the 1960s until the fall of the Berlin Wall. Designated a protected monument in 1977, the house, located in Berlin-Lichtenberg since 1990, underwent a restoration from 2000 to 2002 based on historical plans, becoming publicly accessible.

Designed by Erich Mendelsohn and Rudolf W. Reichel, the German Metal Workers’ Union Building in Berlin's Kreuzberg district, inaugurated in 1930, stands as a prominent symbol of Germany’s labor movement. The reinforced concrete structure features two converging side wings held together by a taller front block, with a curved connecting wing for the print shop. Mendelsohn's design includes a dynamic curved bay window above the entrance, complemented by brass elements and specially designed furniture. Co-opted by the German Labour Front during the Nazi era, the building survived destruction in World War II and was reconstructed post-war. Since 1952, it has housed the IG Metall union's Berlin offices, listed as a historical monument since 1971.