A Kaleidoscopic Symphony

Dundee School of Architecture, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland

Project idea

Every neighbourhood is a sum of its cultures. Some are mono-cultural, with one dominating heritage providing the character of a place. Others are multicultural, with different backgrounds of people throughout the area. Berlin’s neighbourhood Kreuzberg is a clear example of a multicultural neighbourhood containing cultures from across the globe. This multiculturalism is typically known as a “melting-pot” where a bunch of different cultures melt into one shared visual and communal identity. This doesn't quite apply to Kreuzberg though, as each culture is so heterarchically distinct within the architecture. Kreuzberg is instead a kaleidoscope. In Lawrence Fuchs book ”The American Kaleidoscope”, he uses a “kaleidoscope of cultures” as a metaphor for voluntary multicultural pluralism within American history. This more accurately describes the distinct nature of these ethnicities within the architecture of Kreuzberg.

Project description

The building takes the German, and Turkish cultures (the two most prevalent in the area) and expresses them as two distinct strata: the convention, and the abstraction. The convention houses the solid elements stemming from the urban block: the studios, multi-function rooms, and back-of-house spaces. The abstraction houses the interstitial foyer, sloping above the private plinth and into the kaleidoscope, the intersection of the two forms, housing the kaleidoscopic auditorium. The architecture reflects the two dominant cultures in Kreuzberg: German, and Turkish, with contrasting forms interweaving like a symphony.

This theatre is for everyone, no matter the ethnicity, background, or taste in music. It will be accommodated within the intersecting confines of the building, creating a kaleidoscopic symphony of culture and music.


Recycled Site: The existing site houses a near dilapidated fire station. The key elements such as the concrete structure and cladding will be recycled into the proposals foundation and flooring. All of the existing tenements will remain due to their character, but be renovated to meet the standards of the rest of the block revitalisation.

Urban Corridor: The primary site lines stem from the road junction and train station. Leaving this broken space open allows a clear view to the frontage of the public building. The urban corridor also creates a linkage through the city block to extend the foyer to the exterior.

Complete the block: Based on the theatre’s position, the existing conventional tenements will distort into the abstracted public building. The two ends of the convention will create a distant dialogue with each other, getting close to, but never directly touching.

Blend The Abstraction: The abstraction will merge and weave against the convention creating an interstitial foyer space which defines the public circulation. Multifaceted planes are used to bridge the two sides of the convention, expressing the migrational culture holding together the cultural fabric of Kreuzberg. Timber structure and glazing, as well as perforated flooring will exemplify this transparency and contrast to the more sculptural forms of the concrete cladded conventional spaces.

Kaleidoscopic Theatre: The kaleidoscopic auditorium will be form from the intersection of the convention and abstraction, becoming a bulb of light, transparent to view at all times, and shining as a beacon at night. The flexible nature of the auditorium will allow it to accommodate any music genre or performance, accommodating every culture in Kreuzberg.

Take over the block: The entirety of the urban block will be taken over to show it’s public presence at all angles, inviting pedestrians to locate the heart of the block: The Kaleidoscopic Symphony. The glass reinforced concrete panels will extend beyond the theatre, forming faceted fragments; a nod to the history of the previously broken block. Along with the resulting deconstructivist formations making up the building, these ‘shards of glass’ represent the history of the blocks deconstruction and the impact that has made on the urban fabric.

Technical information

Technical Section

01. Kaleidoscopic (Auditorium) Roof Buildup
a. Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete panels
b. Panel attachment frame
c. Waterproof membrane
d. Plywood
e. Thermal Insulation
f. Acoustic Insulation
g. Vapour Control Barrier
h. Mass timber truss system
i. Reverberation chamber ceiling

02. Abstraction (Indeterminate) Glazing Buildup
a. Triple glazing
b. Intermittently accentuated mullions and transoms
c. Secondary structure steel connections
d. Glulam building support beams/columns

03. Kaleidoscopic (Auditorium) Wall Buildup
a. Perforated timber panels
b. Servicing void
c. Glulam building support beams/columns
d. Dynamic lighting
e. Plywood
f. Acoustic insulation
g. Timber frame auditorium support
h. Acoustic panelling
i. Interior plywood cladding

04. Abstraction (Interstitial) Flooring buildup
a. Mesh Flooring: The mesh flooring doesn’t interfere with the concept as it doesn’t exist in the planar dimension.
b. Glulam timber frame
c. Steel connection plates

05. Convention (Plinth) Flooring Buildup
a. Screed
b. UFH pipes
c. Ashcrete structure

06. Convention (Plinth) Wall Buildup
a. Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete panels
b. Waterproof membrane
c. Rigid thermal insulation
d. Ashcrete structure

07. Foundation Buildup
a. Subsoil
b. Waterproof membrane
c. Foundation thermal insulation
d. Ashcrete foundation structure
e. UFH Insulation
f. UFH Pipes
g. Screed

08. Water runoff


Facade

The urban blocks’ morphing towards the public foyer allows a clear view and vision towards what is public. The perforated GFRC panels play a key role in uniting the architecture within the urban block, signifying a presence of publicity. The perforated GFRC panels are parametrically modelled with a custom grasshopper script calculating the alpha values of the graffiti on the site which translates into different sized perforations. These panels as well as the rest of the building facade will change over time based on the street art continuously being erected on the site. The site elevation will clearly express the distortion of the original urban block, connected by the abstraction. The diagonal journey upwards is reflected in the arrangement of the abstraction, promoting movement throughout the public circulation. The facades four distinct elements represent fragments of a bitter memory to many in the past; correlating to the location of the previous tenements, but a view to a new future of Kreuzberg in the present; correlating to the studios, auditorium, back of house, and residential spaces.