Under these difficult criteria,
a competition entitled “Hauptstadt Berlin” (Berlin-
A Capital City) was launched. Both the East and West of the city
were included. The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 however
heralded what seemed to be the definitive separation of the two
parts of the city. The Berlin Senat sought out six of the award
winners of 1959 for their expertise to rebuild the Mehringplatz
Square. Among them was the architect Hans Scharoun,who won the competition. Scharoun’s plans involved a focus on the historical circular form of the Square, as well as his own architectural aspirations, which had not so much in common with the austerity and radicalism of modern architecture, but rather drew their
inspiration from the Baroque style.
The area was to become a centre of trade and commerce, a business
area in the centre of Berlin, loosely encircled by high rise flats
and thus free from crossing traffic. His plans for the AOK administration
building, a sixteen-story tower block were completed in 1968. |