IBA 1957 – IBA 1987 – And what next?
Four theme nights, conceived with Sally Below/STUDIOA in collaboration with Heike Oevermann.
With the 50th anniversary of Interbau 1957 in Berlin’s Hansaviertel and the 20th anniversary of the International Building Exhibition 1987, 2007 marked the anniversary of two events that were equally groundbreaking for the development of Berlin after the war. To this day, both stand as examples – also in international perception – of the socio-political positions and urban design approaches of their time.
We took these anniversaries as an opportunity to take a critical look at this special heritage and to make it useful for today’s urban design issues. What can we learn from the answers of 1957 and 1987 for the current debates about the areas of tension „Preservation <> Innovation“, „Mobility <> Ecology“ and „Density <> Difference“?
Top: Housing project by Fritz Jeanecke and Sten Samuelson at Hansaviertel for the Interbau 1957. Image: Moritz Henning