- Oct 24, 2000
- 29,767
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You have to keep in mind that in the wake of German unification, Berlin has become somewhat of an architectural playground where the best designers from around the world come to play. As such Berlin is becoming a unique city that "looks different around every corner". Germans are also somewhat proud that government buildings, both new and old, have been constructed or renovated using lots of glass. Take Norman Foster's "new" Reichstag building as an example. The glass dome was added to allow ordinary people to literally be "on top of" government. It has since become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe. The dome also symbolizes transparency in government as visitors can look down into the plenary chamber, even when in session. (Given their history you can understand why they emphasize these themes.) And finally, in keeping with their status as THE world leader in environmental protection and "green" technologies, the dome also allows fresh light and air to enter the chamber.
In short, Berliners have become pretty religious about their architecture. So they are of course a little pissed that the USA just built Fort Knox next to the Brandenburg Gate. It would be like the Germans building something almost resembling a prison next to the Lincoln Memorial.
To quote the article:
In its Monday edition, the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel describes the building as a "triumph of banality" and a "barely disguised castle pretending to be a contemporary building."
"The US Embassy will be the opposite of what American embassies, consulates and cultural centers once stood for," the newspaper writes. "The foreign representations of the US are no longer marked by inviting openness, but instead by rejection and control. ... The fact that this situation is given concrete form -- in Berlin of all places, the city that owes its current freedom and reunification in a large part to the decades-long commitment of the US -- is a bitter fact that the stage-managed jocularity of the coming opening celebrations cannot conceal."
In short, Berliners have become pretty religious about their architecture. So they are of course a little pissed that the USA just built Fort Knox next to the Brandenburg Gate. It would be like the Germans building something almost resembling a prison next to the Lincoln Memorial.
To quote the article:
In its Monday edition, the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel describes the building as a "triumph of banality" and a "barely disguised castle pretending to be a contemporary building."
"The US Embassy will be the opposite of what American embassies, consulates and cultural centers once stood for," the newspaper writes. "The foreign representations of the US are no longer marked by inviting openness, but instead by rejection and control. ... The fact that this situation is given concrete form -- in Berlin of all places, the city that owes its current freedom and reunification in a large part to the decades-long commitment of the US -- is a bitter fact that the stage-managed jocularity of the coming opening celebrations cannot conceal."
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