1. Happy Rizzi house, Brunswick
Konrad Kloster designed this house for pop artist James Rizzi in Brunswick in 2001. The design is especially unfortunate in the historic city center.
2. Palast des Republik, Berlin
The Palast der Republik stood right next to the beautiful Berlin Cathedral. It was closed in 1998 due to asbestos and finally demolished in 2008.
3. Humboldt Box, Berlin
But the ghost of the Palast des Republik lived on! Franco Stella won Germany’s international competition to restore the site, which originally held the Berliner Schloss. The Homboldt box is only a temporary installation until the site finally gets restored, sometime in 2016.
4. KiK Textilien, Göppingen
Every once in a while you will come across some cheap, haggard Bauhaus creation tucked away in Germany. Here is one example.
(dierkschaefer– flickr/creative commons license)
5. Bierpinsel, Berlin
This 46m tower in Steglitz was built in 1976. The building has been closed since 2006 and the new owner wants to renovate the building with a handsome golden exterior, a plan which has staunchly been opposed by stupid pop-art enthusiasts.
(fronx– flickr/creative commons license)
6. Universitätsklinikum, Aachen
The University Hospital in Aachen was built in 1985. The largest hospital in Europe, it resembles an oil refinery more than a place for health.
(herrriehm– flickr/creative commons license)
7. Alexa Shopping Mall, Berlin
Yet again at Alexanderplatz, the Alexa store looks actually quite amazing lit up at night. But by day the red concrete facade sticks out in a bad way. Completed in 2007, it is one of the largest shopping venues in Berlin.
(ThomasKohler– flickr/creative commons license)
8. Plattenbauten, East Germany
The Communist-controlled East German government constructed many drab living complexes Neugebauten all over the countryside. Though, West Germany certainly is not immune to these Corbusier-inspired units. Fans of post-apocolyptic animes may like them.
9. Military living units
The American military fixed up most of their living complexes before handing them over to Germany, as they scale down their presence in Europe. Foreign military housing is to be found all over Germany. They didn’t look great to begin with, understandably typical of military housing, but the units that didn’t get fixed up fell into ruin. Pictured here is the Russian Kaserne in Berlin.
(ThomasKohler– flickr/creative commons license)
10. Halle-Neustadt, Halle (Saale) Sachsen
Much of the 1970’s constructions in Sachsen have been torn down, replaced with the more idyllic traditional German buildings. But some still remain. A mess of mass housing.
