OMA in Berlin

By Jordan Grant

Berlin invited many new architects into the city after the fall of the war, and each played a large role in what the city is today. I was fortunate enough to see this in person since I was able to spend some time in Berlin before coming to Italy. I was therefore able to relate to some of the places discussed in lecture, yet also found myself feeling disappointed when I discovered how many buildings I didn't have the opportunity to see. Perhaps one of the projects that I’m most disappointed about missing is that of the Embassy of the Netherlands.

Photo Courtesy of OMA

For a brief history of the architect and project- OMA, a name virtually synonymous with that of Rem Koolhaas, is a firm that began in 1975 and is still going strong today. OMA was invited in to Berlin to design the Netherlands Embassy, which completed construction in 2003. The Embassy was originally located elsewhere but the site was sold following the war, which allowed the Netherlands to move their site to a more strategic location called “mitte” (translated it means “center”), which is composed of former East and West Berlin districts. This detail may seem rather insignificant, but it actually drove the design of the building from the very beginning.

Photo Courtesy of OMA

OMA describes the project on their website as “…a disciplined cube with equally disciplined irregularities which aims to facilitate a better understanding of Berlin, confronting divergent ideas about how the city, with its complexity, heaviness, opacity, and beauty, should build / rebuild. Traditional planning guidelines of the former West Berlin demanded that new buildings in the neighbourhood (the Roldandufer in Mitte) reflect the local 19th century architectural style. Planning officials in the former East Berlin were more open to innovation. As a result, OMA combined an obedient approach (strictly fulfilling the block's perimeter) with a disobedient one (building an isolated cube).” (read more on OMA’s website at http://oma.eu/projects/2003/netherlands-embassy)

The 8,500 square meter project is broken down into the following spaces: 4,800 square meters of offices, 1,500 square meters of housing, and 2,200 square meters of parking. It reaches a height of 8 stories, but perhaps the most important and interesting part of the project is the winding path inside the project that divides the 8 stories into 24 different levels. This pathway determines the arrangement of the interior spaces as well as the exterior façade. At the points where the path comes into contact with the exterior, the façade becomes more transparent and the path allows itself to become more visible.

Photo Courtesy of OMA

I believe that this project is absolutely stunning, especially when lit at night. I’ve included a few photos of the project, but if you are interested at all in seeing more I’ve discovered a website which shows beautiful photos of the project that were taken for a magazine feature. Check out the Iwan Baan’s website for the project at www.iwan.com/photo_berlin_dutch_embassy_Rem_Koolhaas_OMA.php.