German Critics SLAM new US Embassy in Berlin!

[Martin]

It is dreadfully ugly, yes. It reminds me of the Communist-era Ministry of Interior in Sofia (sorry can't find an image), which is basically one huge ugly gray granite block with little windows.

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
If I could have Obama's ear, it would be to suggest to him that his first foreign policy act as President be to demolish the building and rebuild it in the spirit of openness, transparency, and change!

It would be a HUGE step!

No offense but that can't really be anywhere near the top of the list of international priorities for the next president given all of the other problems the US is involved in.

 

[pstylesss]

I thought the building looked kinda nice... and not too much different than the buildings that surround it.

 

[nageov3t]

this might be the gayest criticism of the US ever. lol.

 

[shiner]

Number of dead Jews: 6 million
Number of dead Russian POW's: 2.5 million
Number of dead Homosexuals/Gypsies/Political Prisoners/etc: 1 to 2 million

Bitching about the architecture of an Embassy built by the country that rebuilt your country and kept you free for nearly 50 years: Priceless

 

[Zedtom]

The US government has federal buildings in every large city in the United States. Some are designed in a Greek revival style or neoclassical and are somewhat interesting. The vast majority are ugly, faceless boxes with no personality whatsoever.

Germans, please don't look to the US government for innovation.

 

[Fern]

That thing is stupendously ugly.

Intelligent design to limit exposure to bombings etc is understandable and necessary. Too bad they couldn't do a better job of making the thing look decent.

Tear it down and start over? That's crazy. You'll never get a design everyone is happy with.

Sure, the Germans have the right to bitch about it if they choose. But IMO, it's not all that big of a deal. Ugly buildings are a fact of life; and yes the Germans could start closer to home with their criticism - they approved the design.

I lived in Berlin for several years; this thing ain't the only ugly building there.

Fern

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Fern
That thing is stupendously ugly.

Intelligent design to limit exposure to bombings etc is understandable and necessary. Too bad they couldn't do a better job of making the thing look decent.

Tear it down and start over? That's crazy. You'll never get a design everyone is happy with.

Sure, the Germans have the right to bitch about it if they choose. But IMO, it's not all that big of a deal. Ugly buildings are a fact of life; and yes the Germans could start closer to home with their criticism - they approved the design.

I lived in Berlin for several years; this thing ain't the only ugly building there.

Fern

:thumbsup:

 

[alphatarget1]

It doesn't really look that bad... You can't tell me that the French/British embassy on Unter den Linden is really that much better looking (or any embassy for that matter).

 

[babylon5]

I say this is one fine building! This piece of ugly prison looking stone totally reflects what America is today--uncreative, behind the time, and totally out of touch with the rest of the world.

 

[nageov3t]

if they hired an innovative architect, we'd all be grousing at how the US government is spending our money to make other cities look prettier.

 

[CanOWorms]

I think that it's fitting for an embassy in Germany to be fortress-like. The embassy needs protection with the ultra far-right racists gathering in power in Germany, revival of support for concentration camps, and other destabilizing factors such as Germany's population decreasing at a rapid rate. An embassy is supposed to stand for a long time. A fortress takes in the realities of Germany. It's alarming how many of you forget that Germany is where the 9/11 plot was set up. This is not an embassy built in a country that is an ally, but an enemy.

 

[shiner]

Originally posted by: CanOWorms
I think that it's fitting for an embassy in Germany to be fortress-like. The embassy needs protection with the ultra far-right racists gathering in power in Germany, revival of support for concentration camps, and other destabilizing factors such as Germany's population decreasing at a rapid rate. An embassy is supposed to stand for a long time. A fortress takes in the realities of Germany. It's alarming how many of you forget that Germany is where the 9/11 plot was set up. This is not an embassy built in a country that is an ally, but an enemy.

Quick.........Someone get the B-17's out of mothballs!!

 

[mxyzptlk]

Originally posted by: loki8481
this might be the gayest criticism of the US ever. lol.

Jingoistic and homophobic all at once! Good job! :thumbsup:

 

[OFFascist]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
If I could have Obama's ear, it would be to suggest to him that his first foreign policy act as President be to demolish the building and rebuild it in the spirit of openness, transparency, and change!

It would be a HUGE step!

Dont worry, he will do it, and he will solve all of the worlds problems and we will all live in peace and happiness for the rest of our days. Amen.

:roll:

 

[rudder]

So it is a plain looking building. Its functional. Sure we could have made something very pretty to fit in. Maybe we some nice glass domes (rpg resistant of course), etc. But how much money would Germany have been willing to pay the U.S. to create such an architectural wonder? That's right.... zero. I say spend a little... add a beer fountain in front and all will be good.

 

[WHAMPOM]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
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."

The US agenda made manifest. (B-US-H)

 

[Czar]

Every US embassy I have seen ( both of them ) are like that, meant to keep people away.

In Iceland its basicly a box with small windows with bars in them and concrete blocks around it.
In the UK its a little more open, if it werent for the wire fence, concrete blocks and armed guards.