The idea of continuous renewal, of an architecture able to respond to the demands of the time and society that occupies it, stands at the core of the modern movement. The ADGB School building in Bernau hasn’t been alien to transformation, though not necessarily in a good way. Throughout its history, it has radically changed from a trade-union training school to military facilities during the Nazi and GDR periods. After thorough restoration to a great extent to its original shape, last year it has been added to the UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage. The 1929 ADGB School was the result of an architectural competition won by the Swiss architects Hannes Meyer and Hans Wittwer, at the time working at the Bauhaus, the former as Director while the latter in the architectural workshop. The development of the building and its contents counted with the participation of Bauhaus students, from work in the construction site, to the design of furniture and tapestries. The innovative program, its response to the landscape and its social purpose made it an exemplary work.
The renewed image of the building doesn’t fit, however, its current potential. The facilities are not being used to their full capacity and new ideas and understanding of the site are not only welcomed but necessary. The aim of the workshop will be to speculate about potential new uses for the building and develop a preliminary architectural proposal, considering the challenges that the building itself imposes, as well as those derived from its new status as a landmark.
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