UK Brutalism photographer Tom Benjamin takes a meander through some of Berlin’s intriguing architecture…
I had dedicated some time during my visit to Berlin to visit the Mäusebunker, an old animal testing laboratory that had become an icon of Brutalism in the city. I knew it would take some time, as the train ride in one direction was 40 minutes alone. There were also a few stops I wanted to make along the way that would only add to the length of the overall journey.
I was already out that morning exploring the East Side Gallery and the area around it. I crossed a bridge over the Spree heading for Schlesisches Tor. Underneath the raised tracks, a crowd had already gathered outside a small pub situated between two lanes of traffic. I climbed the stairs to the platform and took the next train heading west.
Pallasseum
The first stop was Pallasseum, a large residential building in the district of Schöneberg. I walked through the residential area where people went about their daily lives. It wasn’t until I was standing in front of it that I could truly appreciate the size of the complex. Pallaseum has 514 apartments, which house over 2000 residents, and spans a street as well as a World War II bunker.
After construction it was praised as a successful response to the city’s social housing challenges, although it soon became known as a troubled project due to vandalism and other urban issues; demolition was even considered at one point. Luckily, the local municipality put time and effort into raising the standards for the residents and now the building even has protection.
Hours could have been spent photographing Pallaseum, especially the details of the building and spaces that the large complex created for its residents, some of which were accessible. I would have liked to capture the building from the other side of the concrete bunker and one day hope to venture inside.
Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche
As I walked towards Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche there was plenty to stop and look at. Each city block was different. They all had buildings that stood out from the others. Some corners had been obviously rebuilt since the war with little consideration for the surroundings or left empty entirely.
Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche was built on the foundations of an older church that was destroyed during the war. Construction started in 1958 and the design was by architects Hermann Fehling, Daniel Gogel and Peter Pfankuch, who used irregularly stacked steel, exposed concrete elements and roughly plastered wall surfaces.
Its triangular shape is reflected in every aspect of the building. It wasn’t until afterwards that I realised that I had missed St. …