Brutalism

The new material aesthetics of the 1960s and 70s with its raw, often artfully worked exposed concrete shaped the construction of an era in Berlin. Numerous buildings, some of which were erected during this period, are now the focus of controversial discussions: While they are not necessarily the darlings of the population due to their “honest” construction methods, they exert a special fascination on experts and the younger generations. Hence, even the monument protection authority is gradually recognizing their epochal and unique significance. Churches such as St. Agnes in Kreuzberg, today used as an art gallery, show the mutability of the supposedly bulky buildings from the time of the economic miracle; others such as the “Mäusebunker” (or mouse bunker), a disused lab at a veterinary research institute, are threatened with demolition.