| Architect |
Foster + Partners |
| Date Built |
1992 - 1999 |
| Location |
Platz der
Republik |
| Description |
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This building was opened originally in
1894 and it was home to the Reichstag
until 1933, when it was severely damaged
in a fire. Further damage occured
during World War II as a result of the
aerial bombing and the battle to occupy
the city at the end of the war. It
remained abandoned for a considerable time
after the war and the business of
government went elsewhere. In the
1960s the building was made safe but it
wasn't until after the reunification of
the country that its restoration was begun
to a design by Sir Norman Foster. Foster's website says of this important project that, "The transformation of the Reichstag is rooted in four issues: the significance of the Bundestag as a democratic forum; a commitment to public accessibility; a sensitivity to history; and a rigorous environmental agenda. Emphasising values of clarity and transparency, the glazed cupola is a new landmark for Berlin, and a symbol of the vigour of the German democratic process." |
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The
Reichstag, Platz der Republik, Berlin, Germany
    The work that was
done to make the building safe in the 1960s involved
covering up the original internal walls. When
these modern walls were stripped away and the old
stone walls revealed, the builders discovered
graffiti that was placed there by the Russian
soldiers who occupied the building at the end of the
war. The soldiers had used charcoal to write
their statements. Presumably there was an
ample supply of charred wood in the building.
  Foster says the
cupola is,
"
.... crucial to its (the buildings) lighting and
ventilation strategies. At its core a light
sculptor reflects horizon light into the chamber,
with a moveable sun-shield blocking solar gain and
glare. As night falls, this process is reversed.
The cupola then becomes a beacon, signalling the
strength and vigour of the German democratic
process."
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