So. One last post before the next Baumeister Academy interns are sent off to travel and blog. My stay abroad is definitely over: many thanks to everyone at Baumeister who made it all possible for me.
More than a month has now passed since the last working day. Incidentally, the last two weeks have been some of the most intensive in the office. While I had a relaxed start at J Mayer H in March with model building, things got off to a pretty intense start for the new interns – including deadlines and competitions. As the first day in the office already suggested, the work was mostly exciting and varied.
It was the same with the working atmosphere, which was pleasant and productive right to the end – for which I would like to thank all JMH employees: it was a pleasure to work with you and to go on lunch break with you! So as you can imagine, despite the pressure to deliver, there was time for the obligatory farewell cake.
A month later, I said goodbye to Berlin, which kept me busy after work with a mixture of culture, leisure and a (small) pinch of my Master’s thesis. Admittedly, I could have visited and seen even more. But especially in Berlin, you quickly get used to missing out on something because of the wide range of things on offer.
There were many architectural, art-related or culinary delights. The list is too long for this text, but just to name a few buildings: I was surprised, for example, by the architecture faculty of the TU (Bernhard Hermkes, Hans Scharoun) with its atriums and its beautiful raw look and of course I also like the Einstein Tower (Erich Mendelsohn) in Potsdam – especially in good weather.
The Tchoban Foundation is small, but worth a visit depending on the exhibition. It is dedicated to the collection and presentation of architectural drawings, which can already be seen in the in-situ concrete walls made with textured matrices.
The Boros Bunker is slightly larger and certainly in the top five of my favorite places to visit. Some exciting and entertaining contemporary art in a seemingly simple spatial constellation. Architect Jens Casper(Realarchitektur) had the thick concrete walls and ceilings torn open with great care. An enormous effort that culminates in the breakthrough of the three hundred and twenty centimeter thick roof. This was done to allow access to the Boros’ penthouse, which was added at a later date and unfortunately cannot be visited without further ado.
I always prefer the bunker to the one or other large museum. Especially if you’re only coming to the city for a short break – make sure you book online in advance! One last architecture-related tip: if you want to see Chipperfield and Mies at the same time, you can do so in Chipperfield’s room-filling installation in the Neue Nationalgalerie. But only until December 31, so hurry: after that, the Nationalgalerie will be closed for up to four years.
Sure, it’s all exciting and good. Nevertheless, it’s not just the individual buildings that make a city interesting, but the urban fabric itself. The daily S-Bahn ride to work, from Friedrichshain to Charlottenburg, was perfect to remind myself of this again and again. Nevertheless, seven months is not enough for a city of this size. Size usually equals diversity, diversity means variety and that in turn is necessary to satisfy my curiosity.
If work, leisure and the city achieve this, it’s definitely a good basis!
That’s why I understand the hype about Berlin a little better – even if I’m still a little skeptical. I’m probably someone who can make friends with almost all (larger) places and therefore I don’t count myself among those newcomers who can’t imagine living anywhere else. And yes: Berlin is not bad. You could definitely stay here longer.
The Baumeister Academy is supported by Graphisoft.