Humboldt Forum on Museum Island, Berlin
by Franco Stella
– the presence of history
ARCHITECTURE NEWS blog

Humboldt Forum – historic palace reimagined as museum
This vast museum complex in the centre of Berlin has opened officially, although only virtually for the public so far. It is one the biggest cultural buildings in Europe, comparable in scale to the Louvre in Paris. With reconstructed baroque-style façades the design concept creates continuity with a glorified past… Read more

A Space for Silence, in line with the geometrical terminal design
The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) designed by gmp architects is finally open. Inspired by Mies van der Rohe and preussian neo-classicism, the building conjures an idea of polished, pragmatic efficiency. For a moment of contemplation or prayer, the meditation space provides a quiet refuge in transit. Gmp is… Read more

The real vs. the virtual: performance and lived space
The classical concept of the grand concert venue is being reconfigured as a more flexible and open model. During the pandemic crisis, alternative formats and virtual concerts have changed the way cultural events have been experienced. Just before the second lockdown at the end of October I was able to attend… Read more

Was the countryside ever romantic?
A massive research project led by Rem Koolhaas over five years culminated in the exhibition ‘Countryside, The Future’ at the Guggenheim New York. The show will be running until February 2012. After decades being obsessed by urbanism and megastructures, Koolhaas became fascinated by the radical development taking place in… Read more

A modernist classic restored
Located in the heart of Helsinki with views over the rooftops, Savoy Restaurant belongs to the city’s 20th century design heritage. The interior was created by Finnish architects Alvar Aalto and Aino Marsio-Aalto as an antidote to the avantgarde machine-aesthetic of the 1930s. The restaurant is one of the city’s… Read more

‘More with less’ – Bauhaus on the centenary
What is the meaning of Bauhaus today, 100 years after the school was launched? The strong legacy can be discovered in the Bauhaus Museum Dessau, a new building designed by Addenda Architects. Located in the same city where the Bauhaus campus (1926) by Walter Gropius operated, it is home to the… Read more
City guide Marseille: Architecture sites and recent renovations
Les Bords de Mer overlooking the Mediterranean
CITY GUIDES – exploring architecture
Helsinki Guide
- Capital city, Finland, with long coastline
- Nordic modernist architecture inspired by nature
- Key buildings by Alvar Aalto spanning the entire length of his career
- Historic neo-classical and jugendstil architecture
- Formal innovations in timber architecture
Marseille Guide
- French port city opening on the Mediterranean
- Forward looking architecture mixed with Baroque and Byzantine traditions
- l’Unité d’Habitation by Le Corbusier
- New harbour area with great cultural buildings