Beschreibung |
Urban Design Hackathon
In the third edition of the Urban Design Hackathon, we are reanimating a world-famous dinosaur: The „Internationales Congress Centrum“ (ICC) Berlin. Designed by the Berlin architects Ralf Schüler and Ursulina Schüler-Witte, the the 313-metre-long building building was already considered one of the largest congress centers in the world. Opened in 1979, it is a landmark of post-war German architecture and the most expensive building in West Berlin. During the nineties it became a requested and prestigious venue, hosting conferences such as the World Bank Meeting in 1988 and the first United Nations Climate Change Conference in 1995. High operating and refurbishment costs became a threat to ICC's future, and in April 2014, the complex was closed for renovation and asbestos contamination removal. Interim and new usage proposals have arisen, but there is still no clear architectural and financial concept. The center remains closed as of 2021 and has been listed as heritage since 2019.
Located in the Westend locality of the Berlin borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, it stands on an island between highways and bridges. It is, though, directly connected to train station Berlin „Messe Nord/ICC“, which is part of the „Ringbahn“, the railway line circling Berlin's city area. Due to its expressive high-tech architecture, the ICC is the scenario of several dystopian movies and is also called by Berliners "spaceship", "Noah's Ark" and "Battleship Charlottenburg".
In need of an eminent urban transformation, it is time this introverted and car-oriented spaceship opens up to its surroundings. In the significant area occupied by the multi-storey parking lots lies the potential for intervention and diversification of uses. An opportunity to integrate the old and the new and to regain its role in the daily life of the citizens of Berlin.
The Urban Design Hackathon is a workshop for international students from European universities. Following the motto „Reanimate the dinosaur“, students are invited to develop future scenarios for obsolete structures of the urban environment while testing a new format of blended learning and international collaboration. The workshop is divided into two phases: the first being online and digital and the second being in person and analogue. To apply please send us your portfolio to urbandesignhackathon@uni-weimar.de until the 30.10.21. |